DutyBound
by Pink Lady Alex
Summary: Set 6 months after ROTF, a discovery in Indonesia pulls Lennox, Mikaela, and Sam to the forefront of the action once again. "No sacrifice, no victory"; but what cost is too high for victory? Rated T for action-violence  and just to be safe .
1. Arrivals and Departures

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This is a fic by request of Frankius17 (formerly AlphaLeader17). I honestly wasn't expecting this story to get so involved, but it has, and I am really excited about it. Thus, I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to write a review to let me know. This does not contain spoilers or speculations for Transformers 3, so don't freak out.

* * *

**Chapter 1 (Arrivals and Departures)**

Mikaela checked the calendar as she entered the motorcycle shop – in two days Sam would be home for spring break. She couldn't help but grin at the thought of finally getting to spend some time with him. They had already planned trips to the beach, going hiking, watching movies…

"Hey honey," her father called. "Would you open the garage door, please? I can hear Jared driving in," referring to one of the guys who worked at the shop.

"Sure dad." She looked over at him and saw the smile on his face. He could probably guess what she'd been daydreaming about.

Being able to work with her dad was something she had thought would never happen. Ever since he had gotten out of jail and they had started running the shop, both of their lives changed for the better; she loved every minute of being there.

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. It's been confirmed," the soldier replied.

"I'll have to brief the team; then we get rolling. Sound the alarm."

Major William Lennox had been relaxing in his room at the NEST base on Diego Garcia when the urgent message came through. He wasn't on duty that the moment, but like all soldiers he had to be ready for anything at a moment's notice. He rushed to get to the hangar where the NEST team held most of their briefings. It was the one area on the base where the most people and Autobots could assemble comfortably. The base had been awaiting a word from all the proper authorities, and now that everything had been given the affirmative Lennox and his team would have to act swiftly.

Within seven minutes, Will reached the top of the platform and checked the information that would be displayed in moments to the personnel. Large screens would show the map readings for all to see. The atmosphere in the building was hushed but tense.

"Good evening," he started. "Thank you for arriving at such short notice. We've just been given the go-ahead on the reports that our reconnaissance team sent earlier today. A Cybertronian vehicle has been discovered in Indonesia." Lennox circled a group of islands east of Sumatra on the projection board. "This area constitutes North Maluku." Zooming in, the map now showed landmasses of Pulau Ternate, Pulau Tidore, and Pulau Halmahera. "The vehicle is situated on southern Halmahera outside of an isolated village called Payahe; the locals reported it as a downed satellite. We need to move quickly though, because it is unknown what kind of energy signature this thing could be giving off. You know the drill, people – we roll out at twenty-two hundred hours."

As soon as he finished speaking, military personnel started moving in all directions to get ready for the latest mission. NEST had grown considerably since the last major Decepticon battle six months ago. They were a dedicated team, always doing whatever they could in order to keep the peace and prevent a full-scale war from breaking out between the Cybertronian natives. The government had finally seen just how important the work was that they did, and expanded their funding.

Thankfully, this time the situation was not too far away. Diego Garcia, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, was only a few hours from Indonesia, which meant less time wasted flying. Lennox would be able to catch at least a couple hours rest before arriving at the scene. This wouldn't be the first sleepless night that he'd spent on the job though.

* * *

Sam returned to his dorm-room after his second to last day of classes. He was loving college life, but craved much-needed rest and relaxation that awaited him back at home after those exams. Even if it included his mom's pampering. Although he'd be seeing his girlfriend at the airport tomorrow evening, Sam couldn't resist phoning her that moment.

"Hey Sam," Mikaela greeted him.

"Hi, Gorgeous. How has your day been?" he asked.

"It's been really busy here – it'll be nice to get away for a bit."

"I can't wait to see you. I've got a surprise for you."

She laughed softly, "Awe, you're so sweet. I actually got you something too."

"Really? Wow, thanks. It's not even a special occasion… wait, is it?"

"No, you haven't forgotten anything."

"Hey, have you heard from Bumblebee recently?"

"Um, yeah, just a few days ago."

"He's coming to pick me up right?"

"Ah, no. He's been really busy with Optimus and stuff… He can't make it back here."

"Oh… Ok, that's cool."

Since Bumblebee had agreed to let Sam attend college on his own, Bee had been working with the other Autobots doing NEST missions. The concept of sitting around in the Witwicky garage never boded well with him.

"Well, I'm starving, so I'm going to go eat."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok. Love you."

"Love you too," she replied before hanging up. Though he couldn't see it, she was still smiling after hearing those words of affection.

* * *

After stopping to refuel in Java, the NEST dispatch arrived at Ternate's Babullah Airport on the small island in two C-17s. It was the largest airport in North Maluku, and the only one where they could land the massive airplanes. The re-con team had advised that a military ship assist the operation if possible, and NEST had been able to contact a one in the vicinity. Fortunately, it was a heavy landing craft and had just arrived at the Ternate harbour by the time they landed. The passage was brief, but there was a long drive of one and a half hours to follow it.

Finally, his squad – made up of Brawn, Sideswipe, and a military Humvee – reached the site of the Cybertronian wreckage. The area that had been cordoned off was a large one, though there were few people out at this part of the island. A main office in the form of a tent had already been established, outside of which the reconnaissance team's commanding officer stood waiting expectantly for the troops from NEST.

"Glad you could get out here; this is a remote area," he called out as Lennox approached. They dispensed with the salutes and got straight down to business.

"It's what we do. So, let's see this thing."

The two men, along with several others, made their way down a narrow, muddy pathway through the dense vegetation. It was already night but the thick foliage made it seem even darker. The path sloped downward, and water could be heard in the distance. Suddenly they emerged onto a beach illuminated by floodlights. Four troops were on guard in addition to Evac, the Autobot assigned to this particular group.

"There has been a marked amount of seismic activity in the area lately, which is not unusual because of all the volcanoes. Then the metal part juts out of the water over here," the officer explained and pointed to the spot just off the shoreline. "Local fishermen then reported what they believed was a satellite in the water. When we saw the glyphs on that thing we knew what we were dealing with. We're still sticking with the satellite story though."

"How big is it?" the major asked.

"We can't be sure. Not only is it underwater, it's also buried in the sand. Seismic activity is the only thing that brought it to the surface." There was a barrier floating in the water over the approximate location. "Divers have already been down – they estimate it to be about the size of a private jet. That's about all I can tell you at this point; it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since we've been here though."

"Well, that's plenty of info. Good job. The rest of the crew should be here by in a few hours, then we can really get to work." Sergeant Robert Epps and half of the team would still have to brave the rugged, dirt roads in pitch-black darkness.

"Hey, is the big guy himself here?"

Lennox grinned. Everyone always wanted to meet the famous Autobot leader. "Yeah, Optimus is here; also Ironhide and Bumblebee. Brawn and Sideswipe came with this advance team. I'll introduce them all to you later."

* * *

"I'm so glad that you could come along with us to pick up Sam!" Judy Witwicky exclaimed.

Once Sam had mentioned that Mikaela would also be meeting him at the airport, his parents had insisted on bringing her with them. She didn't mind though; Ron and Judy were nice. They loved having her around, and were always asking that she visit more often.

His mother shifted her position in the passenger seat so that she was facing the Mikaela, who sat behind the driver's seat of their grey Pontiac Vibe. "You look wonderful, dear! Sam always gets red in the face when you get all dressed up for him. Ron does the same thing when I put on something special – it must be a Witwicky trait."

"Honey, we don't have to get into the 'Witwicky traits' discussion right now," Ron said to his wife, almost anxiously.

Mikaela smiled and chuckled, those two were so cute. It was true that she'd taken some extra thought as to what to wear that afternoon, since she hadn't seen her boyfriend – aside from on a webcam – since his winter holiday a few months ago. Her outfit consisted of a simple white tank top paired with a silk, bubble-tiered skirt in a dusky pink colour, a wide black belt, and black patent platform pumps; it was sure to please.

Ron did his best to plant himself in a chair with a newspaper when the trio walked into the 'Arrivals' section of the airport, while Judy and Mikaela stood closer to the door that Sam would enter through. Mrs. Witwicky wondered aloud a couple of times what was taking so long, before an employee finally opened the door for the passengers.

"Honey, come over here!" Judy called to her husband. "He's going to think you don't like him if you sit over there."

He complied, muttering, "He won't think that – he's my son, of course he knows I like him."

Mikaela scanned the exiting people for Sam's cheerful, boyish face. Several of the male passengers eyed her up or gave low whistles when they noticed her waiting. She was used to the looks and ignored them, but slipped on the denim jacket that she had brought along; the air conditioning made it cool inside anyways.

After about three dozen people had come off the plane, Sam finally strode out with a bag slung over his shoulder. He grinned ear to ear when he spotted his parents and girlfriend.

"Oh Sam, my big college boy!" His mother squeezed him tightly in one of her hugs, until he insisted that she release him.

He also greeted his dad before approaching Mikaela. "You look beautiful," he said, and gave her a quick kiss. She noticed him blush a little, just like his mom had predicted.

Ron cleared his throat and started speaking; "Hey Sam, I know you just got in and you're probably tired, but your mother and I want to take you both out for lunch, ok?"

"Wow, you must've really missed me," Sam joked. "That would be awesome – thanks Dad. I just have to pick up my luggage first."

As they walked to the baggage carousel, he took Mikaela's hand in his own and she couldn't help but feel blissful. Everything was perfect.


	2. Pensive

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_You'll probably be glad to know that Lennox gets more of a focus in this chapter. There are lots of details to explain, so I hope that everything's understandable. If you've got questions (or comments) you know what to do. Thanks for all of the great reviews for Chapter 1!

* * *

**Chapter 2 (Pensive)**

It took the rest of the night for the NEST team to arrive and set up camp at the site of the Cybertronian discovery. Will Lennox was able to enjoy a few hours of sleep before awaking at dawn. The sky was emblazoned with such spectacular hues of orange, pink, and yellow that most people took a moment to observe nature's beauty before getting to work.

The team ate breakfast and went over the plan for the day, and soon Will was waiting for one of the Autobots to resurface from the salty depths of the ocean water. Bumblebee had been sent to investigate the submerged vehicle, since he was one of the smallest of the group. NEST couldn't start extracting it until they knew what would be required to haul the machine onto dry land. Even Optimus had to wait before examining it. At twenty-eight feet tall he was much larger than the other Autobots, which did not leave much room for him to maneuver.

Will continued to pace the beach impatiently until the yellow being finally broke through the surface of the water and trudged up the sandy shore. "Sir, you can assess the area," Bumblebee informed his commander. "I will lead you down."

"Thank you. This won't take long, Major."

Lennox watched as Optimus Prime waded into the aqua liquid, causing huge clouds of sand to swirl under the surface. There was a sound of boots crunching on the dry beach; Will turned to see Epps walking towards him.

"You know, I've been thinking, once we get this thing out of the water, how are we gonna get it out of here? I mean, it's going to the base, right?" the sergeant asked.

"The only options we have at the moment include putting it into one of the planes, or shipping it back."

"If it's the size of a private jet, how are we supposed to lift it up and out?"

Will shrugged. "We'd have to set up a crane, unless the Autobots could lift it."

"This thing had to land here – it couldn't have crashed out in a field…" Epps muttered, shaking his head.

"Optimus did mention the possibility of flying it out of here, if it still works."

"Well I sure as heck hope it does. I don't want to be hauling Cybertronian wreckage all over the earth."

"Not in this forest anyway. We'll have to cut a path down here for the Autobots."

"I can go get that started," Epps offered.

"Thanks. I'll wait for Optimus to come back up," Lennox replied.

About ten minutes later, the Prime loomed out of the water and back onto the beach with his lieutenant trailing behind him.

"How'd it go?" Will called out.

"Quite well. We can assemble the team leaders to discuss the next step based on the information Bumblebee and I have gathered," Optimus announced to the major.

"Alright." He radioed the other officers that were helping him command the mission. "Ok, main office in eight minutes."

"Agreed." Optimus led the way up the rough, forested slope through the secondary trail the Autobots had pushed through. Sideswipe and Evac had just been assigned to widen the trail so that their large frames would avoid the bush-whacking involved. The improved pathway would soon be ready, but until then, they had to step over logs and tree stumps.

A compound consisting of five large tents had already been assembled in the short time that the NEST team had been in Indonesia. There was also a clearing that the Autobots could comfortably stand in. The Prime chose get down on one knee so that he was in a better position to address the humans, while Bumblebee remained standing behind him.

"We've been able to take underwater scans of the Cybertronian vehicle, and the way it has been embedded into the ground," Optimus started. "About two-thirds of it is buried in the sand, as you can see." As he spoke, Bee displayed a large holographic image showing the underwater diagrams. "It is likely still in a working condition, but that cannot be determined until more of it is unearthed. I believe that it can be done with the forces that we currently have."

Major Lennox took a few moments to discuss options with the other officers. He was commanding this mission, so the final decision would be his. "Alright, it will take too long to get a boat that we could use all the way down here. And there is even less a chance of getting a crane, unless we can get it from a nearby mining town." He turned to the Autobot leader. "Optimus, if your team will be able to dig the vehicle out, let's do it."

* * *

"You're sure that you're ok with this?"

"Sam, honestly, that's the third time you've asked me. If I wasn't ok with this, I'd say something."

"Really? You would say something?" her boyfriend cast her a skeptical expression.

Mikaela smiled. "I spend a lot of getting my hands dirty, so digging in topsoil isn't that much of a stretch. And besides, it's fun; I can finally learn how to plant my own garden."

"I just didn't envision us hanging out at the house here, planting flowers and tomatoes…"

"We're in the sun, enjoying the outdoors, your parents are going to make lunch, and we're together, so it's perfect."

When Mrs. Witwicky had asked the two of them to help out in the gardens at home, Mikaela had willing agreed to it. She and her dad had been able to get a nice place to live in, and she wanted it to look colourful and cared for like a proper home, not like anywhere she had lived previously. Having never done much gardening in the past, working in the Witwicky garden seemed like an opportune time to learn. Mikaela knew that sometimes Sam felt a little awkward about having his girlfriend over at his house like that, but he was gradually getting over it. In any case, she envied his having such a loving family.

"It's not the same without Bee around," Sam admitted after a while.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she replied.

"So, he told you that he was taking off – what did he say exactly?"

It sounded bizarre; something that looked and sounded like a real car actually having a life of its own. Bumblebee had moved out of the Witwicky garage about the same time that Sam returned to college, but chose to remain in the city for a time in case of lingering Decepticon threats. He had frequently stayed at either Mikaela's house or at the motorcycle shop, but when he finally deemed it safe, he went to assist Optimus and NEST.

"Well, one night, he wakes me up by patching into my phone– it was like two-thirty in the morning – and tells me he's leaving for a mission. When I came out to my driveway, he was in full Autobot mode; I thought I was dreaming. I mean it was a little crazy talking to him like that, but I'm glad that Ratchet got his vocal processors fixed again."

"Wow – he used to do the same thing to me. Didn't anyone ever notice a car coming and going like that?"

"Not really. If anyone asked I told them that it was my boyfriend's hot car that he let me drive when he was away," Mikaela explained, grinning at him. "Anyways, he was usually out patrolling the city, but lots of times it would just be the two of us going all over the place."

"You and Bee hung out?" he asked, incredulous. "Maybe you're dating the wrong guy. How is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"

She laughed. "Don't worry about it, Sam. Hey, I've got something that will cheer you up." After standing and helping Sam to his feet, she took his hand and led him to the garage. Once inside, Mikaela flung back a tarp to reveal a blue and white mountain bike. She had carefully picked the Schwinn 2009 Mesa GSD for him, knowing that it would be sturdy, yet simple to function and maintain.

Sam's eyebrows raised high and he passed a hand over his hair – a familiar mannerism of his. "You got this for me?" he asked, genuinely surprised at the gift.

"It's all yours. I figured you could use your own bike; now you won't have to use your mom's," Mikaela joked, happy that he liked it so much.

"Thank you." He kissed her and jumped onto the seat. "I'm taking this for a test drive!" he shouted, racing out onto the lawn.

Mikaela could already hear Ron Witwicky loudly telling his son to keep his bike on the garden path before she got back outside.

"Sammy, give Mikaela her gift now – don't make her wait while you tear around the yard hooting," his mother suggested.

He waved his girlfriend over as he came to a halt, and she followed him into the house. "I knew that you'd want something that you could use all the time, and I didn't want to get you something too predictable. It took me a long time to find the right present." Sam handed her a package wrapped in violet paper with a bow on top. "My mom helped me put all of the decoration, I couldn't figure out how to get it on properly."

"It looks great already," she said, and perched on a chair with the weighty package on her lap. Carefully lifting a couple pieces of tape revealed the word 'collection', and she quickly pulled the rest of the wrapping off. Her breath escaped in a small gasp.

"I thought that since you basically have your own place now, even with your dad upstairs, you'd want to be able to eat something other than TV dinners, and I remembered you saying something about wanting to learn how to cook," Sam explained.

His gift was a box set of hardcover cookbooks by Williams Sonoma; one book specifically for cooking and the other for baking. "Awe, Sam, this is so thoughtful and… just awesome," Mikaela exclaimed, then leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to catch you being romantic!" Judy exclaimed as she entered the kitchen, disturbing the couple. "You've opened it! How do you like it? Those are just the best cookbooks – I wish Sam had gotten me a set as well!"

Ron walked in behind his wife, catching the tail-end of the conversation. "I'll buy you a set of cookbooks honey."

"You can't tell me that you're going to – it has to be a surprise!"

"All right then, I'll surprise you with cookbooks."

Sam looked back at Mikaela. "Do you want to go for a bike ride?" he asked, while his parents bickered in the background about surprise presents. "You'll finally get to ride my mom's famous bike."

"Sure," she agreed with a smile, "I'll get to see you show off without crashing this time."

* * *

After about three hours of tense work in the humid heat of the Indonesian island, the NEST team had finally managed to haul the alien vehicle from the sandbank that it was lodged in. The Autobots took turns digging away the sediment that held it in place, but it took the brute strength of Ironhide and Brawn to drag it clear. Now it lay on the seafloor of the small bay while the next stage of the mission was arranged. Human divers assisted Bumblebee in anchoring a camouflaging net over the Cybertronian plane that would obscure its visibility through the clear waters.

Aside from the troops on guard duty, the majority of the troops had left for the temporary base to have a meal or to sleep, but Will Lennox and Robert Epps chose to remain on the beach to discuss the operation. A couple of their Autobot counterparts reclined on the sand nearby, fatigued from the manual labour.

Optimus Prime he seemed to be in a pensive mood, or as pensive as a being of his sort could get. His towering figure was also in a seated position near the humans. "This machine has been here quite a time," he announced to Will. "I believe it ran out of power and was abandoned here by its occupant. The natural earth processes merely buried it afterwards. It could even have arrived shortly after Megatron came to Earth."

"That long? It's amazing that those Decepticons never found it," Epps remarked.

"Yes. But it is impossible to say what ever became of the one flying it; I cannot be certain if they were an Autobot or a Decepticon."

"Well, if that was their only mode of transport, they're probably still on the earth somewhere," Epps remarked.

"But Optimus, you've sent out messages; wouldn't they have received them?" Will asked.

The Prime stared off across the water. "It is possible that they do not wish to become involved in the conflict, and only want the refuge of this planet." There were seventeen to twenty thousands islands that constituted Indonesia. Keeping hidden on an uninhabited island would not be a difficult task. "There is another matter though," the Autobot continued, "I fear that we will not be able to make the vehicle operational without a power source."

"Hey, if you're thinking about using any more Cube fragments, I don't think I'll be able to get through all the red tape fast enough," Lennox informed him. After the last battle, all the remaining pieces of any Cybertronian power sources had been carefully locked away, so that they couldn't be stolen again.

"The previous conflict with the Deceptions yielded some good. We retrieved several Energon Cores – portable, Cybertronian power sources – one would be able to re-energize the ship."

"Wait, I don't remember seeing these Cores in use," Epps interrupted. "Are they locked up at Diego Garcia?"

"One is, but the others have been hidden. Humans are not ready for this kind of technology, so the full potential of the Core was not revealed. It is probably best that your governments do not learn about this."

"It's your stuff – you know what's best," Lennox replied. "Besides, if the government found out about it, they'd have a heyday. Remember the last time they sent a special agent over?" He was referring to Director Galloway, who had come to shut down NEST.

Epps rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're right; I don't need a hundred agents breathing down my collar. So, if we can't use the one at the base without drawing attention, what are we going to use?"

"Bumblebee was entrusted with an Energon Core," Optimus continued. "It is in a safe location in California, so it must be brought here. Could you arrange that, Major?"

"Yes – I'll have to get that set up right away. We won't have lots of time to sit around waiting. An operation like this is sure to arouse suspicions."

The sky was starting to darken a bit; it looked like rain, or a thunderstorm. The air definitely wasn't getting any cooler. Being right on the equator meant constant heat and humidity, and thunderstorms were common. At any rate, it was time for rain slickers. Will and Epps left to find some for the troops on guard, while the Autobots moved under the protective cover of the broad-leaved trees.


	3. Blues and Greens

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Sorry that I'm a little behind on posting this. Ok, this chapter may seem a bit heavy on Sam and Mikaela's side of the story, but fear not, Lennox sees some action toward the end of the chapter. Thanks for the reviews – you readers are great =)

* * *

**Chapter 3 (Blues and Greens)**

Even after they had graduated from high school, Sam and Myles had remained good friends. Mikaela was at work that day, so Sam rode over to his buddy's house in the late afternoon. At any rate, he would have a chance to show off his new bike. The two of them ended up in front of a TV screen for the next three hours; eating, playing video games, and talking intermittently.

Sam's cell phone rang and he crashed his virtual car while trying to answer it. "Hello?" he asked absently, mainly focused on getting his vehicle back on course.

"Is it Mikaela?" Myles whispered. "I'll talk to her for you, bro."

"Sam, hi it's Mom. Where are you?" Judy Witwicky's voice came through the device.

"I'm at Myles' place."

"Well, you have to come back right now," she told him.

"Mom, I'm busy right now, we're hanging out. I'll be back later tonight."

"You can hang out later. Those government people just phoned asking for you, and they said that it was urgent, but they wouldn't tell me about it. I'm your mother! Whatever they can say to you they can say to me. They're always so-"

Sam had to interrupt her mile-a-minute rant, "Ok, I'll be back in a few minutes. Just don't freak out."

"'Don't freak out'? Whenever they come around it means something weird going on – like last time!"

"Mom, I'll be there in ten minutes. Bye." He quickly ended the call.

Myles had paused the game and was looking over at him. "Let me guess: Satan's Camaro and friends?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry man. I've got to deal with this before my mom loses it."

"No problem. Call me when you're free, dude. That's a cool bike by the way."

Twenty seconds later, Sam was on that bike and racing home.

"Finally, you're back!" Judy exclaimed when Sam burst through the door. "I told them to call back in fifteen minutes – they should be calling any moment now."

Sure enough, the government agents were extremely prompt, and the phone rang moments after she spoke.

He answered it and a monotone male voice responded. "Are you Samuel Witwicky?"

"Yes."

"I will transfer the call to Major Lennox." There was a pause, then the soldier's familiar voice came across the line. "Hi Sam, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine. What's all this about?"

"Listen, I need to ask for a favour; it's important… vital, really."

"Uhh…ok?"

"Bumblebee is on a NEST assignment with us right now."

"I noticed."

"And he's left something in your care. It's-" Will's voice faded out as he spoke to someone in the background. "This is a secure line, right?" After another pause he continued, "It's an energy generator called an Energon Core. All you have to do is give it to the agents who will be coming around in about forty-five minutes, and they'll deliver it to us."

"A what? I don't know what you're talking about, Bumblebee never left anything. Wait, how big is it?"

"About… two feet in diameter."

"I'll be right back," Sam told him and sprinted for the garage. It was the only place that Bee could've put something that big without anyone noticing. After virtually ransacking the place, he dashed back into the house. "There's nothing!"

"Are you sure?" Will asked. Sam's negative answer prompted an aggravated grumble before he also excused himself from the conversation.

"What do they want, Sam?" his mother asked anxiously.

"I don't know."

"Tell them to stop bothering you then!"

Lennox finally came back on the line; "Sam, it turns out that Bumblebee left this generator in the care of Mikaela Banes. We'll have to contact her. Sorry to bother you. Do you know where she can be reached right now?"

"Mikaela? She's at work right now, the custom motorcycle place; she'll probably be closing up for the day. But how did she-"

"Sorry, I've got to go. Talk to you later."

There was a click as the connection was broken, and Sam stood there looking stunned.

Mrs. Witwicky stared at him. "Honey? What's going on? Are you ok?"

"I've got to phone Mikaela," he mumbled, frantically dialing the number. "Bee left something with her that the government needs."

Judy threw her hands up in the air. "This is crazy. Why are they always getting you kids to do these things?" She walked off still talking.

The line to the shop was busy and she wasn't answering her cell phone. Sam ran to the window to see if his dad was back home yet, since he had the family car. Purely by chance, Mr. Witwicky was just then pulling into the driveway, and Sam darted outside.

"Dad, I need to borrow the car," he informed his father.

"What? I just got back home-"

"It's an emergency, life or death matter. And you said that in emergencies-"

"Whoa, wait a second!" Ron cut in, "Don't you have a car? I clearly remember that you have one in the garage."

"Not anymore, so can I-"

"I paid for half of that thing you know!"

"Yes, but that was before we knew it was a robot. Now Dad, please, I just need the car for an hour."

"An hour?"

"Less than an hour."

His father finally agreed and gave him the keys, and Sam went roaring off. "Drive carefully!" Ron called out after him. "That kid…"

* * *

Mikaela was on her motorbike and just about to pull out onto the road in front of the shop, when another car came screeching around the corner and nearly collided with her head-on. Thankfully she'd heard the car coming and yanked the handlebars of her bike in the other direction, but couldn't avoid a minor crash into a fence. Picking herself up off the ground, she did a quick check for injuries, then pulled off her helmet and stormed over to the grey car.

Already getting out of the car was her boyfriend, Sam. "Mikaela! Oh my gosh – are you alright?" he spluttered.

"No, I'm not alright! You nearly killed me!"

"I am so sorry. Are you sure you're not hurt?"

She sighed heavily and combed her fingers through her long hair. "I'm fine. Seriously though, you don't have to crash into me every time you want to get my attention." She was alluding to the incident a couple years ago when Sam, being chased by a killer Decepticon, knocked her off her scooter.

"I just got a call from Major Lennox. He said that you have some Autobot energy thing – something to do with Energon?" he said gesturing emphatically.

"I talked with him several minutes ago. I was on my way home to get it. But why are you here?"

"Well, I was wondering why you never told me about this."

Another sigh. "Honestly, I kind of forgot about it. It's not like a dog that you have to feed. You can come back to my place to see it if you want."

"Of course! I'll follow you there."

"Just don't drive too close to my bike, ok?" she warned him.

Within ten minutes they had reached her suite. It was the downstairs part of a house, and her dad lived in the upper half. Mikaela had already run into her bedroom and was yanking the contents out of her closet.

"What are you doing? Whoa, you've got a lot of stuff," Sam commented.

She ignored him and continued clearing a space. "I found this crawlspace back here when I first moved in." She got down on her knees and unlatched a small door. "Thankfully, I could just fit this thing in here…"

He bent over to peer in and saw a glowing blue light and rings of metal. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, pretty cool, huh?" Mikaela got into a better position and started heaving the weighty device out of the space.

"Let me help you with that," Sam offered.

"No wait! Don't touch it!"

He had already reached in when she called out the warning. Leaping back with a cry, Sam clutched his hand. "It's burning hot!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Sam, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you." She led him to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting the cold water run over his fingers.

"How are you not hurt?"

She bit her lip; she hadn't been too generous with the details. "When Bumblebee left the Core with me, he programmed it so that I would be the only one who could handle it, so it would be more difficult to steal."

"So, how are we going to move this thing?"

"Well, I had to use a push cart to get it in my room when he brought it here, so that would be the best way to get it out."

"Where is it going?"

"To Lennox and NEST in Indonesia. He's arranged for some government agents to pick me up and they should be here in about forty minutes. I need to find my passport…"

"You're going too?"  
"Yes – this thing is my responsibility and I promised not to let it out of my sight. People would try to take this you know."

"No kidding."

Mikaela had an idea; "I'm going to get some tow cables, I'll be right back."

After a good ten minutes, she and Sam finally dragged the alien generator out of the crawl space and onto the waiting push cart. It weighed about seventy pounds and measured two feet in diameter by one and a half feet wide. The device looked like an atomic symbol with bronze metallic loops encircling a blue, luminous, cubic center. Mikaela had attached a couple metal hooks for Sam to hold on to as they moved it across the room. When they finished getting it ready for transport, she started packing.

"So you're going to Indonesia right now…" Sam thought aloud. "What if I said that I'd go with you? I mean, we've been through everything else together."

"You're on vacation, Sam. Just enjoy yourself and I'll be back in three or four days."

"And I'd be spending all that time thinking about you. Mikaela, I'm coming."

"You're sure?" she asked, and he nodded. "Thank you. You'd better get back home and get packed. I'll tell the agents to come by your place to pick you up."

"Ok, see you soon." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "My parents are going to have a meltdown," Sam commented as he left.

* * *

"Ok, Optimus, Mikaela will be here in fifteen hours," Will Lennox told his Autobot counterpart.

"That is a long time to wait here."

"I know, I don't like it either, but I've arranged to get her and the Core on the fastest plane that can be spared. I'd have her air-dropped if I could, believe me."

"When she lands at the airport here, I will send Evac to bring her here directly. Driving through all that mud would take too long, even for Brawn," Optimus replied.

"Good idea. You seem to be in a rush to get all of this done," Will noted.

The Prime sighed heavily, "I just feel that the sooner we can get this craft out of here, the better."

"You think the Decepticons could have traced it already?"

"It is an unwelcome possibility we must consider. There is nothing happening that is out of the ordinary, but my past experiences tell me to be cautious."

"I'll keep that in mind." Will glanced skyward to check the weather. "I think I'm going to head out on a recon mission with the guys; there isn't much else to do at the moment."

"Take Sideswipe with you; he can cut through this dense foliage with efficiency."

The team that the major assembled comprised of nine men, including himself, and one Autobot. Although they didn't expect to find anything, it was a good exercise to keep the troops active, not to mention helping to dispel some of the Prime's anxiety. The air was muggy, and within only a few minutes of brush-whacking the men were really starting to sweat under all of the heavy gear.

With Sideswipe's long, razor-like blades, the going was made easier; each swish of his arm deftly removed branches and thick vines. "There's a life form ahead," he muttered in a low growl.

Lennox motioned for everyone to get low to the ground. Another advantage of having an Autobot as a teammate was the array of long-range sensors and scanners they seemed to have.

A British officer on NEST, Captain Graham, leaned over to speak. "I'll go up ahead a few feet, Major. When I have a visual, I'll radio."

"Ok," he agreed. "Take someone with you."

The rest of the team waited patiently, or as patiently as they could. The ground was moist and muddy. Lennox watched a bizarre-looking insect crawl across a leaf and down into a flower; so intent was his study that the communication from the captain made him start.

"Sir, if the team moves forward slowly and quietly, there are some mammals up here."

As if on cue, the scouting team approached cautiously to where Graham was crouching.

Feeding excitedly on some fruit were creatures that looked something like warthogs, except larger and more nimble. Their most striking feature was their large, curving tusks; two came upward from the sides of their mouths, but the other pair grew through the snout.

"What on earth?" Will breathed in amazement.

One of the soldiers whispered, "I believe it's a _babirusa_, also called a deer-pig or pig-deer. I did some research before we got here…"

"Barbeque anyone?" someone else quipped.

The suppressed chuckles were enough to frighten the animals, and they fled deeper into the forest.

Continuing onwards, the group saw many other beautiful and exotic creatures. Some lingered long enough for the men to take photos, while others were fleeting. The fragrances of spices and flowers wafted through the moist air. This rainforest, awash in all hues of green, was unlike anything anyone had experienced. Eventually the bush-whacking, rugged ground, and constant swatting of bugs from faces, tired the recon team. They made the decision to head back to the camp, taking an easier route. Many times large birds would take to flight nearby, and everyone would tense. With the main job of fighting giant mechanical beings for a living, it did make a person rather cautious.

All of a sudden, Sideswipe stopped in his tracks, causing everyone to automatically switch into a state of heightened alert. "There is something here. We're being watched."

"Sensors out – we've got echoes!" Lennox commanded.

Instantly every soldier had either their gun or a piece of scanning equipment drawn, or both.

"It's quite faint Major, barely registering," Captain Graham reported.

"We'll find it. Keep looking."

Just then a large insect whizzed past Lennox's head. The hum of its wings was clearly audible, but the pitch was wrong for an organic creature.

"It just went past!" someone shouted. "That bug – that's it!"

Hovering in mid-air, the comparatively tiny Decepticon glowered at them with glinting red eyes. It could have been the biggest fly on earth; yet even with an eight-inch wingspan and six-inch long body, it was too small a target for the troops to gun down. All the men shot at it anyways, sending a hail of bullets through the broad leaves.

"We can't let that thing get back to where it came from – it may have information!" Lennox yelled, chasing after the retreating spy. He couldn't get through the brush fast enough, it was too quick.

Overtaking the man on his right, Sideswipe sped past, his arms slicing everything out of the way at a savage pace. His wheeled feet accelerated the Cybertronian warrior to a breakneck speed, just barely clearing the tree trunks. He soon came parallel with the Decepticon and hurled his entire body toward the insect. There was a tremendous crash, and the Autobot came to a halt on the forest floor.

Sideswipe stood, his silver exterior plating covered in mud and foliage. "Major Lennox, I hope that you didn't want this bug in one piece, because I can't guarantee that it will be." He held out a closed fist at the base of a long blade.

"Good job. Hopefully we'll be able to extract any information it may have. Don't open your hand until we get back to the base; catching it once was enough."

He glanced back through the path that had just been blazed through the rainforest. Fortunately things grew fast here and the ecosystem would soon repair itself… after a while. A faint cry made him pause. A small creature tried to limp away from the humans, but even from a distance Will could see that it was badly injured. He picked it up, holding it gingerly.

"It must have been knocked from a tree when we were in pursuit," Captain Graham remarked.

"Yeah," Will replied. He stuck it in the crook of his arm as he used to do when his daughter was an infant. "We can't leave it here like this or it'll get eaten for sure."

"Maybe the medic can stitch it up," someone else suggested.

Lennox glanced around at the group; everyone was soaked from perspiring and still panting from the chase. "Alright then, let's head back. I think we've had more than enough reconnaissance for one day."


	4. Mission Halmahera

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_It's all about the details in this chapter. The calm before the storm one might say… I really hope that you get the sense of what arriving in Indonesia is like for Mikaela and Sam. I certainly welcome your suggestions and comments. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 4 (Mission Halmahera)**

The moment Sam had gotten home he'd started talking about the last-minute journey that Mikaela was taking and his wish to accompany her. From that time until he left, Sam and his parents had become engaged in an intense discussion over the proposed idea, while he ran around the house trying to get packed before the government agents arrived at his doorstep. In the end, Ron and Judy Witwicky finally gave him their permission to go with his girlfriend, and a typical black, government-issue SUV pulled up in front of his house soon after.

The ride to the airport was a fast, quiet one. Their straight-faced chauffeurs knew all of the shortcuts. They were taken directly to a private military hangar, where the young couple and their precious cargo were loaded onto a plane; though it wasn't just any airplane.

"We're going to Indonesia in this?" Sam gawked. "I thought only over-paid executives, celebrities, and politicians had planes like this!"

"They do," an agent assured him, "but tonight, you get to use one also."

Sam and Mikaela followed the three crewmembers into the sleek jet, a Bombardier Global 5000. The interior was luxurious; large, comfortable seats with pillows, wood accents, and even a stateroom to sleep in.

"This is crazy – we get all of this just for the two of us?" Mikaela asked the pilot.

"Yes," the uniformed man replied. "It was requested that the fastest plane available be used. So enjoy the flight. Either the other pilots or I will need to rest at some point during the flight, but you won't be bothered otherwise. The galley is right up at the front, so help yourself if you're hungry. There is also a forward lavatory and a larger one in the aft. We'll give you instructions before take-off, so don't worry."

"Yes sir!" Sam said enthusiastically, settling into a spacious chair.

Sam and Mikaela's flight in the lavish business jet took them to Hawaii in under five hours. After a brief fueling stop, they left for a non-stop journey to Maluku, Indonesia. That leg of their journey took a little over nine hours at Mach 0.85, making the entire trip about fourteen hours. Between the high-speed Internet access, the films, and the other amenities they had plenty to keep them occupied, but Sam and Mikaela also spent time lounging about and napping. The food was like the kind that one would expect in an expensive restaurant – nothing like the average airplane food.

Eventually the pilot's voice announced that they were approaching their destination. The jet soon landed in Ternate and the pair reluctantly left their opulent mode of transport. There were NEST troops awaiting their arrival, who quickly ushered Sam and Mikaela to a waiting helicopter.

The young woman lingered behind, making sure that the Energon Core, her reason for being half-way around the world, was being handled properly. "Don't touch it with your bare hands," Mikaela cautioned.

One of the men unloading the Cybertronian device gave her an irritated look that said: "Don't tell me how to do my job."

When he burned his hand a moment later – an alien safety mechanism – all she could do was roll her eyes and continue on toward the helicopter. She and Sam had repeated that phrase about a dozen times in the past fifteen hours, with at least half of those instances being ignored and having the same result.

Major Lennox was inside the aircraft, having wanted to greet them personally. "Sam, Mikaela, I'm really grateful that you could come out here like this. I hope that you enjoyed your flight in that jet. By the way, you'll be tenting down at the site," he remarked with a grin.

The Energon Core was heaved into the chopper by a couple of ticked-off soldiers, who also took a seat inside. "Wow, so this is it!" Lennox reached over to brush the metal with his fingers. A chorus of "Don't touch it!" from the helicopter's occupants startled him and he looked around quizzically.

* * *

It was a short flight to NEST's mission control near the village of Payahe, but there wasn't much to see in the way of landscape since it was already one in the morning, and the land below was pitch-black. Mikaela glanced at Major Lennox, who sat across from her. He looked tired; it had probably been a long day. She and Sam were wide awake, and she felt a little guilty for feeling so alert, but realized that with the jet lag they would be exhausted come the daytime.

The camp was at a much more advanced stage than she expected. There were a couple of large floodlights arrayed to illuminate the landing area in the middle of a clearing, not too far from several army-sized tents. Mikaela wondered how anyone could sleep through the noise generated from the helicopter. After they landed, Lennox surprised her and Sam by telling them that they had just been riding in an Autobot in his alt-mode. Evac transformed soon after they'd cleared the grassy tarmac.

"So, what happens now?" Sam asked.

Will was exhausted from the extensive patrolling mission earlier that day, as well as guard duty. He stifled a yawn. "Now, I'm going to bed. I'm not sure where they'll have you two sleep, so I'll inform the officer on duty that you've arrived and he'll get you settled for the night."

"I thought you guys worked around the clock on operations like this."

"Normally we do, but the vehicle is underwater and we don't have the resources to properly light everything. We're in very remote territory and it's a complicated operation, so the daylight hours are best."

"What vehicle?"

"Oh right – you haven't been briefed on that. I'll explain in the morning," he replied drowsily. "Night."

They watched him wander off to a tent, then Sam turned to his girlfriend. "Why are we here exactly?"

"I'm here to deliver that," she pointed to the Core that was being hauled away by several NEST personnel. "And you wanted to come with me."

"Well, why didn't we just hand it over and leave?"

"Our pilots just flew us here on a fourteen hour flight, and on short notice too. They're probably asleep right now."

"What was Lennox talking about then?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't say anything about the mission over the phone."

"So you just got in a plane and flew halfway around the world because he asked you to, without even telling you why?" Sam countered.

"Why are you kicking up such a fuss about this? He's a friend and he needed help. I don't see what else should qualify to make a trip like this worth my while."

"A little knowledge of what's going on – that would be nice."

"Sam, remember when you phoned me on the second day of college, freaking out and everything? I got on a plane that hour. How is this any different?"

"Ok, fine – it's not," he said with a sigh.

"And that was after you blew me off on our first video chat thing," Mikaela added, though she knew she shouldn't have.

"I knew you were going to say that! What happened to 'forgive and forget'?"

"Sorry," she said, pursing her lips into a pout.

He smiled at her. "I'm sorry too. Let's go find that officer."

They were both carrying duffle bags, he had a backpack on, and she had a messenger bag, but they still managed to hold hands as they walked.

* * *

There was already light filtering through the tent window when Roberts Epps came to wake the Major. Lennox stirred when the Sergeant gave his foot a firm shake.

"Wha… what time is it?" Will asked groggily.

"Seven o'clock. I would've woken you an hour ago but Graham told me that you picked up the kids last night; thought you could use the sleep."

"Yeah…" He sat up and looked around the empty tent. The nine other cots were vacant, meaning that some of the team was already up and on task.

Epps lifted the mosquito netting and handed him a clipboard. "Those are the notes for the day. I'll meet you in the mess hall."

"Hey, would you make sure that Witwicky and Banes are awake too? We need to get this mission done today if possible."

The Decepticon scout that Lennox's recon team discovered was a bad sign. It was more than likely that trouble was on its way, just like Optimus had predicted.

* * *

This time it was Sam and Mikaela who looked fatigued as they sat down at a fold-out table. They had only been resting for three hours after arriving at the base, the time change having left them out-of-sync with their usual sleeping patterns. Lennox entered with Epps and a couple other officers, his hair still a little damp from showering. Someone brought out several breakfast MRE's – Meals Ready to Eat – complete with heaters, and he sat down to eat with them.

"Well, you guys don't look too worse for wear," he remarked cheerfully. "Ok, we'll have to brief you on the mission while we eat, so listen carefully."

They both nodded and Captain Graham began talking. "At present there is a Cybertronian vehicle submerged in the bay down there," he pointed towards the water, "and our job is to get it to a secure NEST location as soon as possible. The issue we have is that the machine is totally without power, and the most available power source is the one in your possession. Using that, we plan to fire up the vehicle and Optimus will fly it out."

"That's why we had to get you here in such a rush. I appreciate your taking this so seriously," Will told the young woman.

"For us to proceed," the British agent continued, "the Core needs to be unlocked. As soon as you're finished eating, Major Lennox will assist you with that."

Epps also chimed in; "Then you can come down to the waterfront when we get this whole thing going. We might need an extra pair of hands to get this machine out of the water first. I hope you're up for cleaning duty!"

* * *

A smaller tent that had been set up for the sole purpose of communications was in the middle of the camp and kept under twenty-four hour guard. Also, because of the extra heat generated from the equipment, it was the only structure that had a small air conditioning unit. Mikaela was glad for that since the air was already extremely humid. Lennox led her over to the corner of the tent and pulled the cover off the Energon Core.

"It's a beauty," he commented, "but too hot to handle. We've got it on a dolly, so I'll roll it outside for you."

The wheeled platform made all the difference in moving the device, and it was soon outside. Mikaela heard Bumblebee approach and gazed up into the optics of the yellow Autobot. "Hey!"

"Good to see you," he replied. She always found it intriguing that the courageous soldier was actually rather soft-spoken for a Cybertronian. When he used the radio to communicate, it better represented his good-humored personality.

"What happens now?" Will asked.

Bee picked up the Core and held it low enough for Mikaela to grasp the angular metal rings. There was a slight crackling sound and the blue interior glowed a little brighter; small streams of light danced up his large, mechanized arms. After Bee nodded she took her hands off, the device now having been unlocked for the rest of the Autobots and people to touch safely.

"Wow – that's it?" Lennox was clearly amazed. "Pretty cool. Are you ok?" he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

The resulting static electric shock was so great that there was a visible spark. Mikaela shrieked and Will leapt backwards.

Bumblebee appeared bewildered at the incident. "What happened? The Core shouldn't affect you like that."

Will rubbed his hand. "It's static electricity. Humans have some electricity in them and when the positive and negative charges are imbalanced, you get a shock."

"Are you damaged?"

"No, it only hurts for a second," Mikaela explained. "But it's a strange sensation."

"I wonder if it will work on Brawn…" the Autobot mused aloud. "I'll take this down to the site, Major Lennox."

"Thanks, I'll be there soon." He looked over at her and laughed. "You're sure you're ok?" He tentatively touched her arm.

They were still laughing when Epps and Sam came onto the scene. "What's so funny?" the Sergeant asked him.

"Static electricity."

* * *

As the two army men led Sam and Mikaela down to the waterfront, they warned them not to get into the water or to go into the forest. Even though it was hot they would have to keep pants and long sleeves on at all times because of the multitude of insect-borne diseases they could get. Mikaela was petrified of even touching a leaf by the time they reached the shoreline. She and Sam were already on some preventative medicine since they didn't have time to get inoculated before travelling to Indonesia.

The thought of malaria left her mind as soon as she saw the beach. The light-coloured sand and lush tropical trees framed the tranquil, cerulean water. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen – aside from the fact that there were Autobots and NEST soldiers all over it. Gazing over everything was the towering Optimus Prime.

"Hello Sam, Mikaela," the Autobot leader greeted them. "Everything is in position, Major. Bumblebee and Ironhide are going down with the Energon Core to see if they can power the machine underwater."

"If it works that'll save us a lot of time," Epps commented.

"We'll know soon enough," Lennox replied.

When the Autobots disappeared beneath the water's surface, it was almost as if everyone collectively held their breath. Everyone on the team was aware of the Decepticon infiltration that Lennox and his scouting party had discovered the previous day, which had increased the urgency to get this mission completed.

Twenty minutes later both Ironhide and his younger counterpart resurfaced and trudged onto the shore. Bumblebee was still holding onto the Core; his responsibility to the device apparent.

"It's not working, Optimus. There was only a temporary power surge, nothing more. We estimate that the water and organic matter is hindering the craft's ability to fully power-up," Ironhide explained.

There was something like a sigh that came from the Prime. "We'll have to bring it out onto dry land."

Will also looked dejected. "Well, there was always the possibility that this might happen. Alright, I'll get everyone assembled. On to Plan B."

"What's 'Plan B'?" Sam asked.

Both Major and Sergeant had already left and Captain Graham was now standing near Sam and Mikaela, radioing orders. "We will be hauling out the vehicle manually. If possible we're going to attach inflatable devices that should provide lift and make the task much easier. Otherwise, we'll be pushing and pulling it out with ropes."

Sam's eyebrows raised high on his forehead. This day wasn't going as planned.


	5. Out of the Gloom

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Finally, some action! If you've been waiting for it, you may now celebrate. This chapter would not have been possible without the amazing _Decepticon is Decepticon_ – your assistance made the action happen. So read, enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think of the story so far.

* * *

**Chapter 5 (Out of the Gloom)**

Even with the majority of the forty-person NEST team, it took hours of strenuous work to get the Cybertronian vehicle raised and dragged onto the beach. The machine was waterlogged and covered in kelp and other marine plants, yet the metal had repelled anything from becoming solidly attached to it. Nevertheless, it was an impressive sight to behold. The design was completely alien to anything the human race possessed – an intricate, yet powerful, metallic craft of dark silver.

By this time, everyone was thoroughly filthy and exhausted. The weather was also changing; in the short time that Lennox and his team had been in Maluku they had learned that storms could come in quickly.

"Alright, good work everyone!" Will addressed the soldiers. "Let's get some camo on this thing and hit the showers. We'll have a briefing at seventeen hundred hours."

The Prime approached. "I greatly appreciate the effort made today," he told the Major. "If this thunderstorm had not developed I would have flown the ship out of here today."

"Well, we don't need to risk you getting struck by lightning – that's probably how that thing got here in the first place."

"At sunrise I will get it powered and fly out. Until then, we need to keep it under a heavy guard."

"I agree. I'll get some guys down here right away."

* * *

Up at the camp, Mikaela quickly washed in one of the temporary showers. There were only three other women on the team and they got priority for the facilities, not to mention part of a tent made private by a curtain. The showers were actually better than she had expected – the inflatable shower tent had six private stalls and a heated water system. Afterwards, she went back to her cot for a quick nap, since it was a couple hours until everyone would convene for dinner and she felt extremely tired due to the jetlag.

Movement in the corner of the tent startled her, but she wasn't prone to shrieking. She cautiously approached and peered inside a cardboard box that stood atop a couple of crates. Inside was a creature that looked like a cross between a cat and a baby bear; it gazed back up at her with large eyes.

"I see you've met our roommate," a voice said behind her. It was one of the female officers.

"Yes I have. What is it?"

"It's a cuscus, a type of marsupial. Major Lennox brought it in yesterday when he came back from a scouting mission. There was a bit of a take-down in the forest and this poor guy got caught in the action."

"Is he badly hurt?" Mikaela asked.

"No, just some cuts. Our medic thought that he may have broken something, but he seems to be ok."

"That's good." She turned to look at the animal again. "He's really cute."

"Yeah," the woman sighed. "We all wish that we could keep him, but he'll have to be returned to the forest before we leave tomorrow. Sideswipe has really taken an interest in this little guy. I think he is starting to realize just how fragile other life-forms can be… Want to help me feed him?"

"Yes, please!"

The cuscus readily accepted the proffered fruit offered and devoured it noisily.

"So, how do you like life on a NEST team?" the woman asked.

"It's busy," Mikaela replied. "But it's still pretty cool. I mean, your team does all sorts of amazing things and you get to see so much of the world too. And I'm sure working with Autobots is an interesting experience."

"That's for sure. I feel really fortunate to have this as a career." The woman took a closer look at her. "Hey, you look beat. Most of the team will be eating in a couple hours, so I can wake you up before then – if you want to lie down for a bit."

"Thanks a lot. I'm still in another time zone." Mikaela got under the mosquito netting and crawled into her sleeping bag. She was asleep in moments.

* * *

Dinner with the troops was an enjoyable affair. Sam and Mikaela liked the camaraderie between everyone, and the hospitality they received despite the fact that they were only civilians. Some of the soldiers had actually been at the Battle of Egypt that had taken place several months ago; they remembered Sam's courageous actions that day. Though Lennox was commanding this complicated mission, he took the time to make the young couple feel welcome. Visiting the various tables, he shared stories and jokes, and was in such a good mood that everyone felt at ease.

By the time he turned in for the night, it had stopped raining, but the air was still as humid as ever. Will had to take a shift of guard duty in the early hours of the morning, and needed to be alert for it. With Epps on duty, the camp was in good hands.

"Lennox! Lennox!"

The hoarse, urgent whisper caused the Major to wake with a start. Crouched beside his cot on the other side of the mosquito netting was Captain Graham, his face illuminated by the red light setting on his flashlight.

"What's going on?"

"Lennox, our scanners have picked up Decepticon echoes. They're faint but it looks like they are approaching from the water."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." The grave expression on Graham's face said it all.

"Alright. We need to get everyone awake. I'm going over to the comm. – in five minutes we need to assemble in the mess tent and we'll go over our options. Keep night-vision settings on everything."

"Right away, sir."

Lennox swiftly laced up his boots and threw on a coat as he charged for the communications tent. Slipping a pair of headphones on, he listened intently and watched the radar. "Four inbound?" he asked the person at the instrumentation.

"Yes sir, at least four but there may be others that we are not yet detecting."

"Keep me informed. We need to make contact with the airport right now. If we get hit with an EMP, we'll be dead in the water."

* * *

Mikaela nearly fell off of her cot her when the alarm went off. People all around instantly sprang into action and began rushing around. "What's happening?" she asked.

"We've got trouble coming," one of her tent-mates informed her. "You have to get up and come with us. Don't stray."

She did as she was told and soon met with Sam at the back of the mess tent.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah." They had been in some intense situations before, but never in the middle of a military operation.

"Listen up people," Lennox called out from the front of the tent. "We've got at least four Decepticons headed our way. They're likely here for the vehicle or the Energon Core. We can't let them get their hands on either. Aerial backup has already been requested but they won't be here for a while, so we'll have to hold them off until they arrive to extract us. Stay together in your groups – don't get split up. Optimus is going to try and get this machine out. The 'Cons are coming in from the water, so if we can draw them onto the beach we'll be in a good position to take them out from sniper positions near the forest. Remember: stay in radio contact at all times. Alright, roll out team!"

NEST troops began running in all directions, many with heavy-duty weaponry. Lennox passed Sam and Mikaela as he made his way out. "When the Ospreys get here I'm putting you two on the first one out. Be ready to move. Stay at the camp here unless you're told otherwise."

"Yes sir," Sam replied.

The tent was empty aside from the couple. "I'm going to get my stuff packed up, and see if anyone else needs help."

"I'm coming with you," he told his girlfriend.

When they finished gathering their things, they went to the communications tent and stayed in the background. The station was bathed in a red light so as not to disrupt anyone's night vision. A multitude of screens streamed various readings to the personnel in charge. It was all so surreal, like they were watching a movie, though Mikaela knew that this was no dream.

* * *

The shoreline was dark and quiet. Water lapped placidly at the shore and a gentle breeze rustled the trees. Nevertheless there was a presence in the air, a feeling that was nearly electric. Gathered near the covered vehicle, the Autobots stood ready for battle.

"Optimus, you have to get this machine out of this place," Ironhide was telling the Prime. "That is what they are coming for. We'll be able to fend them off."

"I will not ensure my own safety ahead of that of anyone else. Even if I were to leave, they would certainly try to kill all the humans."

"Not while my spark burns!" Ironhide beat his chest-plate with a fist.

Lennox approached the Cybertronians. "Optimus, if things get critical, you have to take the vehicle to base, I must respectfully insist."

The Prime grumbled a bit. "I see the wisdom of your thinking, Major."

"Can't Bumblebee or Sideswipe fly the ship?" Will asked.

"Unfortunately not. It is older technology that they have never been acquainted with. The ship itself is actually a being – I will explain later. I am one of the few who could successfully pilot it."

"Sir! We've got incoming!" a soldier nearby yelled, pointing towards the water.

Lennox looked in the direction indicated – the night-vision goggles allowed him to see the water churning. Out of it came five smaller Decepticons, each leaping through the swell, approaching the beach rapidly.

"Fire when they come into range," Will informed Epps, who was stationed to the far right.

As soon as the first shots rang out, the aquatic Decepticons simultaneously dove beneath the surface. "They're Seacons," Optimus announced. "We must try to keep them from combining. Brawn, flank that side!"

"Combining?" the word was barely out of Will's mouth when the beast-like creatures started crawling up the beach, weapons blazing.

A high-pitched engine roar resounded through the air and two assault jets transformed in midflight, landing to the far left.

"I'll handle them, Brawn," Optimus assured his soldier. "Dirge!" he called out to the new arrivals.

"Prime! I see you have found the interstellar transport, and you've done all the menial work as well," Dirge taunted. "Release it to me now."

"You sound more confident than your usual cowardly self. Don't expect to get off easy though." Optimus charged forward, blades out. He took a mighty leap toward Dirge and Storm Cloud, managing to strike the former and deflect a shot from the latter. That was more than enough to send Dirge fleeing, while Storm Cloud scrambled to get his parts away from the twin swords.

By now, the Seacons had retreated back into the water having faced heavy fire from the equally heavily-armed Ironhide and Brawn. Hovering above the water in a way unnatural for a jet, Storm Cloud was also refraining from mounting his attack.

"This is too easy!" Brawn exclaimed, sounding ready to gloat over the apparent victory.

"It is…" Optimus pondered aloud. "Something's wrong!"

A not too distant crash in the woods confirmed his assessment.

* * *

"What was that?" Mikaela asked suddenly.

"What was what?" Sam looked at her, his eyes wide.

The thunderous sound repeated followed by an ominous crunching noise.

"_That_."

"They're coming."

An EMP burst a moment ago had crippled the station. A communications officer who had been frantically trying to re-establish contact stopped to listen. "You're right. All the scanners are down so there's no way to tell how many are headed for the camp."

"Whatever it is, it's big, I can tell you that much," Sam replied.

The past experiences with the hostile Cybertronians had educated them enough, though one could never be fully prepared for the terror that they would undoubtedly be facing.

"We've got to get word to Lennox – are the radios working?"

"Yes, the hand-radios." The officer threw one to Sam. "I need you to call the major. I've got to try and get this equipment operational. Just follow my instructions."

A look passed between Sam and Mikaela. "I'm going to find Bee; he should be just outside."

She dashed outside and nearly collided with the leg of the sixteen-foot Autobot. "Bee, they're coming for the camp!"

"I know, from north and south of our position. They're following the energy resonance from the Energon Core – I've got to get it out of here before they tear apart the camp."

The commotion in the forest came to an abrupt stop. Mikaela and Bumblebee froze and stared into the gloom. "It's too late," she whispered.

With a terrific crash the trees at the edge of the camp were mowed down by the bucket of a front-end loader as the machine roared into the clearing. It was a Constructicon drone, much like those that they had faced in Egypt. Scrapper transformed and slammed a giant pincer open and closed.

Bumblebee stepped in front of both Mikaela and the communications tent that housed the Core. He got into a battle stance, waiting for the enemy to make a move. There was a brief exchange in Cybertronian, then the Decepticon charged.

Mikaela dove back inside the structure but still felt the rumbling of the massive beings fighting. "We've got to get out of here – that thing is going to flatten the tent!"

All the communications officers grabbed the needed equipment and Sam hauled the dolly carrying the Core. They slipped out a back entrance and huddled near a couple Humvees. Another moment inside and everyone would have been killed; Scrapper landed heavily on the structure after Bee's judo-like move sent him flying.

A radio crackled to life; "This is Lennox – we're on our way. Over."

Seconds later a vehicle sped past and halted a dozen feet from their location. Lennox and several troops jumped out and the particularly tough-looking Humvee transformed into Brawn.

Will and his men joined the waiting group. "Everyone alright?" the major asked, and waited for a few nods before continuing. "Ok, Optimus is going to get that ship away from here, but that doesn't mean the 'Cons are going to leave; they're probably going to try and finish us off, so we've got to take them out."

Laser shots pelted the ground as the battle raged on between the three Cybertronians, momentarily disturbing the impromptu briefing.

Clapping a hand to a soldier's back, Will addressed Sam and Mikaela. "You two go with him. Get the Core to Optimus, and stay down there. Epps or Graham will direct you." He also pointed to a communications officer. "You go with them also; they'll need some more equipment down there. Has anyone heard from Sideswipe?"

As if in answer to his question, a huge dump truck exploded from the northern end of the camp, splaying trees out in front of it. As it accelerated to join in the brawl, its alt-mode changed to reveal an equally bulky form. Tailing the Decepticon was Sideswipe, using his wheel-propelled acrobatics to vault over the path of destruction.

"Go! Get moving!" Lennox shouted, and all but shoved them into a vehicle. After they were safely away, he charged off to help the Autobots, who were a little less than evenly matched against their foes.

* * *

Down at the beach, Evac and Ironhide stood guard as Optimus took the Core and inserted in into the transport's power receptor. Immediately the Cybertronian vehicle came to life and started hovering above the ground. The Prime looked over at his lieutenant, seeming reluctant to leave the battle.

"We'll be fine, Optimus," Ironhide assured him.

The interstellar transport rose shakily into the air, but soon leveled off and blasted away. From the adjacent side of the bay, two more assault jets shot out of the forest in pursuit of the Autobot leader.

"That looked like Thundercracker and Ramjet!" Evac exclaimed. "Should I follow them?"

"No. Optimus can handle them; we've got a job to do here," Ironhide ordered.

Epps' radio crackled with an urgent message; "Epps, we need back-up here – these 'Cons are pretty big and there's just not enough cover."

"I hear you, Will. Moving out!" Before leaping into a four-wheel drive buggy, the sergeant found the two civilians. "You kids stay down here with the scout team."

Captain Graham and a small contingency of troops, as well as Evac, would remain on the shore where they could watch for incoming Decepticons. Sam and Mikaela got inside a Humvee to stay out of the soldiers' way. It was a little quieter, but the thunderous crashes and gunshots from the fight were ringing through the humid air.

"I can't believe this is happening again," Mikaela whispered.

"Optimus said that it might take a while to defeat Megatron's forces," Sam replied. "He thinks that they'll keep trying to take over and start the war all over again like on Cybertron."

"Well, at least that giant vehicle is one thing they won't get."

The Humvee's door was ajar and they could hear Graham speaking to the NEST personnel. "Has anyone gotten a visual on those other two jets?"

"Dirge and Storm Cloud – no, they both flew off," someone replied.

"Get on the radio and tell Lennox to keep an eye out for them."

Evac's cannons suddenly rotated out. "The Seacons… they're still out there. I'm getting a reading on them and I think they have fully combined this time."

Graham picked up a large automatic rifle. "What do you mean?"

"Well from what I've been told, when the Seacons combine to form Piranacon, it doesn't stop fighting until either it's out of energy or everything's dead."

As everyone urgently scanned the bay, a beaming red sword slid out of the black waters with a hiss.


	6. Optics and Options

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_The battle continues! Do keep in mind that this all takes place in the middle of the night; it's dark. Thanks for all the great reviews – keep them coming!

* * *

**Chapter 6 (Optics and Options)**

Optimus Prime was already a massive being, nearly double Bumblebee's height; however, the creature that was emerging from the Indonesian water was colossal in comparison. Piranacon began to lumber towards the shore, cannons already blazing.

"Fall back! Fall back!" Graham hollered.

Every single NEST soldier was firing whatever weapon they had available, but it was making little impact on the combiner. Several troops crowded into the Humvee that Sam and Mikaela had taken refuge in, and gunned the engine towards cover of the forest. Evac stood between the monstrous Decepticon and the humans, shooting desperately to keep it back as much as possible. The trident-like sword that Piranacon wielded would be more than enough to slice him in half.

Someone in the Humvee, who had been trying to establish contact with the major, all but pounced on the radio the moment Lennox's voice answered. "Sir, the Seacons down at the beach have combined; this thing is huge. We've had to retreat."

"That's not good. They're probably trying to herd us all together up here. If we can get some of the 'Con's distracted and divided, we'll have a better chance of taking them out."

Graham's voice could also be heard on the frequency; "We can draw Piranacon out of his element, the water, and up to the high ground if you can thin out your current targets."

"We'll work on it. Epps, take a squad, as well as Bumblebee and Brawn. I'll take Ironhide and Sideswipe."

"Roger that," the sergeant replied.

One of the officers in the Humvee turned to Sam and Mikaela; "We're going to put this vehicle in the forest and use it as a staging area. Stay in it."

"Yes sir," they responded in unison. Following commands at a time like this were crucial – they could mean life or death.

* * *

Although he had Ironhide with him, one of the most powerful Autobots on the team, it was going to be a challenge bringing down Long Haul. Sheer mass alone compensated for his lack of agility, but that also meant thicker armour. Sideswipe's blades could slice through it, but only if he was close enough; one good hit from the Decepticon and he could be crushed.

"Ok team, let's get this guy into the woods a bit, then we can surround him and take him out. Make sure you've got some cover at all times."

Ironhide was struggling with the dense underbrush to the point that Sideswipe had to lend him a razor-sharp sword to hack his way through. "This is not a good idea – we can barely move in this vegetation," he grumbled.

"Well, if it slows Long Haul down, then you'll be able to get a better shot," Lennox reasoned.

Will was crouching behind a tree trunk with his men in sight. His night-vision goggles allowed him to survey the area and keep tabs on his surroundings. Even so, he couldn't see everything in the gloom of the jungle.

* * *

"I can't see a thing out there!" Sam exclaimed, peering out the vehicle. A blue light faintly illuminated the interior, but the soldiers needed the exterior headlights and floodlights kept off to minimize detection.

"I hope Optimus made it out alright," Mikaela commented.

"Yeah… he had those other two Decepticons right on his tail."

A loud explosion nearby made them both flinch. "This is crazy – there won't be anything left by the time the Ospreys get here."

"Don't say that; we've all gotten through tougher spots. NEST does this for a living."

"That doesn't mean that everyone survives every mission."

Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. "It's going to be ok."

A low, beeping noise sounded from the control consol, accompanied by a flashing orange light. Mikaela was the first to notice it; "Hey, I think someone's trying to contact us."

"Are you sure we should be touching things in here?" Sam asked as she reached for the radio. "That button could launch a rocket for all we know."

"If this vehicle is a mini base, then any call could be important. Do you see any of the troops nearby?"

"No, they went back to help Graham. I guess we'll have to answer it."

Major Lennox's voice came through hoarse and urgent. "Mikaela? Is that you?"

"Yes. Sam and I are the only ones in this Humvee. Everyone else is fighting Piranacon."

"Do you have any weapons there with you?"

Sam looked in the back and called out his findings. "We've got about eight extras, and some stuff in crates."

"Ok, we're going to need those soon. Contact Epps and Graham first and see if they need any fresh supplies. We can hold out for a little longer. Don't be without a radio though."

"We'll get right on that."

Mikaela hopped out of the Humvee and opened the trunk hatch. "There aren't a lot of supplies, but this should keep them going for a while," she called out.

"Ok, I just radioed Epps and his team is doing fine. Graham isn't receiving yet."

Suddenly Mikaela felt her skin crawl as if someone was breathing right down her neck. She picked up a rifle, checked it for ammunition, and took the safety off as she had seen the soldiers do countless number of times that night. "Sam!" she muttered through clenched teeth.

"What? What is it? What are you doing with that gun?"

"There's something out there. Are there any goggles left?"

"Maybe… I'll look."

At the sound of branches snapping Mikaela whirled around to stare into the burning red optics of a Decepticon. She screamed and her finger tightened on the trigger, spraying a stream of specialized bullets into the enemy's face. The kick from the gun was powerful enough to knock her back into the Humvee, but the semi-sitting position allowed her to get a better aim with the weapon.

The Decepticon melted back into the darkness, unseen to the eyes, but they could hear it moving about. Sam had been hiding behind a seat, and when the shooting stopped he grabbed a rifle for himself.

"That thing is going to come back," he whispered. "Get back in the truck…slowly."

There was some static on the radio, then the British accent of the captain came through. "Sam, I got your message. We could use some more weapons, but don't leave your position, we'll come to you."

He scrambled to the front of the Humvee to pick up the receiver. "There's a 'Con here! It's lurking around us."

"Another?" The captain muttered a curse under his breath. "Alright, you'll have to drive out to the clearing and meet us there. We should have time to regroup before Piranacon gets up the hill."

"Uh, roger that."

Mikaela dumped the rifle back into the trunk. "I'll drive."

"What? No way, I'll drive," Sam countered.

She was already climbing into the front seat. "You know I'm the better driver. Just buckle up."

Sam had barely gotten into the passenger seat before she put her foot down on the accelerator. The high-traction tires cut through the mud, rapidly pulling them out of the forest. There was no doubt that Mikaela knew what she was doing when she got behind a steering wheel, be it car or truck. She handled the heavy vehicle with the ease of any professional driver, and in no time at all they had cleared the forest.

Despite the loud sounds echoing throughout the area, one noise in particular stood out because it seemed closer than the others. Sam turned and looked out the back window in time to witness a horrifying sight – Dirge, who had been stalking them moments earlier, was leaping out after them and transforming into his fighter jet alt-mode. The afterburners set an eerie glow to the scene, while his face was twisted into a mechanical snarl.

"Mikaela! Behind us!" Sam shouted.

Her eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror. "Hold onto something!" She slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel hard to the left. The Humvee spun violently, but the maneuver sent the jet hurtling over them.

"We need cover; it's too open out here."

"Over there, by the camp." Sam pointed in the specified direction. "That smoke should cover us until Graham gets here."

The NEST camp was mostly crushed, or in flames, or both; however, it was better than nothing.

Sam opened the door and got out. "Don't go anywhere. I'm going to check for any injured people."

"Be careful!" Mikaela tried to spot the Decepticon, but the night sky made it nearly impossible – he was out there somewhere. The bang on the door made her jump. Sam climbed back inside, his face and clothing covered in black streaks.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone around, but I found this guy." He held up a furry creature that she instantly recognized.

"The cuscus! Is he ok? He was already hurt a couple days ago."

"He's really scared. I had to wrap him up in this blanket because he kept on trying to hide in my jacket. I could hear Dirge circling. I don't think he can find us, or else he's moved on to another target."

Mikaela wanted to express some relief at that statement, but that other target would be the soldiers and Autobots.

* * *

"This is Epps. Come in. Over."

"This is Lennox. What's going on?"

"Good news – we've taken down this 'Con. Scrapper has been scrapped. Need some help on your side?"

"Yeah, we could. You got the easy 'Con."

"Alright, we're coming over. Stay cool. Over and out."

Lennox gritted his teeth, he didn't need to tell his friend that things weren't going well, Epps already knew. The hulking Long Haul was pushing them deeper into the forest and they were running out of space to move. At this point, the best option was to divide his squad, go around the beast, and escape to the open ground once again. In the process, the Decepticon would have to turn around and follow them out, but by then Epps and his squad would be on the scene. He gave the order.

* * *

"I see them!" Mikaela shouted. Graham and his team had finally made it to the demolished base. She drove over to meet the men, since they wouldn't be able to find them in all the mess.

The British agent looked relieved to see them. "I'm glad you two made it. We've already lost one man, and two others are injured. Piranacon is right behind us, so we don't have long."

"We've also got an assault jet ready to land on us," Sam added, anxiously glancing skyward.

"Epps just contacted me. He should be arriving here soon. The sergeant said that Lennox is having difficultly taking out a 'Con. Once we get Brawn and Bumblebee…" the captain's voice trailed off as a strong vibration went through the ground.

"Sir, Piranacon – it's here." A towering figure blocked out whatever feeble amount of light the stars and crescent-moon were giving off.

"Those assault jets, there's both headed this way!" another soldier announced.

Barely loud enough for his troops to hear, Graham murmured, "We're surrounded."


	7. Desperation

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_And the battle rages on! Sorry for the small delay in posting this chapter. I really struggled writing this one; the story was starting to lose focus and veer off course. As a result I re-wrote half the chapter and I think it's been whipped back into shape. Let me know what you think – I love the feedback.

* * *

**Chapter 7 (Desperation)**

The hulking Brawn came charging out of the woods with Bumblebee alongside him. "We'll take him together!" he roared.

Evac acknowledged the battle cry and got himself into position. Behind this first line of defense were Captain Graham and Sergeant Epps commanding the determined NEST troops. Over to the side and out of the line of fire were the injured soldiers and the two civilians, Sam and Mikaela.

The massive combiner Decepticon made his entrance onto the battlefield by way of slashing down several trees with a scarlet blade. "I will crush you and devour your sparks!" Piranacon boomed in Cybertronian.

"Not tonight, fish slime!" Brawn retorted.

Piranacon stampeded in their direction and they rushed to meet him. Evac and Brawn pelted the beast with cannon-fire while Bee raced underfoot in his alt-mode, then transformed and climbed up the Decepticon's back. In the meantime, the NEST soldiers did their best to take well-aimed shots at the combiner; it would take a lot of firepower to take it down.

* * *

Lennox ran as fast as he could through the dense foliage of the tropical forest. He was bringing up the rear of his squad, making sure that no one fell behind, while the someone did the same for the other half of the team about sixty yards away. His original plan to take down Long Haul had failed, so he'd decided to split the team, sneak around the Decepticon, and head back out to open ground. Ironhide was also with him, eager to be out and tearing through the vegetation.

The black Autobot stopped and turned around. "Keep moving, Lennox. Long Haul is coming – Sideswipe and I will finish him."

Will glanced back. Even with his night vision goggles he couldn't see their target yet, but he could hear it approaching quickly. "Bring the rain," he told his Cybertronian counterpart, and kept running.

* * *

A couple soldiers who were medics tended to three men currently seated in a Humvee. At the present, it was the best that could be done for a medical station. The medics tried to revive the man that Graham believed to be dead, but it was already far too late. An energy bolt had ripped straight through his chest and there was nothing more that could be done. The only consolation was that he had not suffered.

Mikaela was retching a little way off into the bushes. She had never seen a dead person before, much less one who had had such a violent death.

Sam approached carefully so as not to startle her. "Hey, it's me. Are you going to be ok?" He passed her a damp cloth and a bottle of water and let her clean up a little.

She stood and he embraced her, rubbing her back soothingly. "What about the other men? Mikaela asked.

"The medics think that they'll be alright."

Another soldier jogged over to where the couple was standing. "We've got the major on the line."

Immediately they rejoined the small group to listen to Lennox's orders. He was panting heavily as he spoke, "We're retreating from the forest right now. Ironhide and Sideswipe have engaged the target. How are things at your end?"

"We've got our hands full with Piranacon right now," a soldier replied.

"Ok… If you could spare a vehicle, we could sure use a fresh supply of ammunition and weapons. My guys are on their last legs as it is. Then we can focus our energy on taking down that combiner."

With the ear-splitting roar of jet engines, Dirge and Storm Cloud decided to launch their attack, swooping down from the night sky and onto the field. They landed behind the line of NEST troops, sending them scrambling for cover. It was already enough to avoid being crushed by the current brawl without two more Decepticons to worry about.

"Lennox, we've got another problem, those jet 'Cons are back." The man on the radio glanced at the people around him. "Sir, I've only got the medics, the wounded, and the civilians available."

"Sam and Mikaela?" There was a pause from the other end. "They'll have to go with you. Once my team is out of the woods, then we'll mount an ambush on the new target. I'm hoping by that time Sideswipe and Ironhide will be finished. Right now, you've got to get as many weapons as you can find and meet us south of your position."

"Right away sir," they replied.

"We'll take that Humvee," the soldier told them. "It's got the gun turret; I'll man that. I hear you've got the driving skills, miss – would you take the wheel?" She nodded and he continued talking, "Sam, take this rifle and be prepared to use it." He gave the young man a very basic weapon tutorial before they jumped in the military truck.

Mikaela deftly navigated toward the specified area that Lennox and his team was to emerge. They only idled a few moments before the first soldiers broke through the wood's edge and sprinted for the Humvee. Shortly after that the other half of his team appeared and everyone congregated the vehicle. As the weapons were reloaded, Lennox evaluated the next stage of their attack.

After talking with Graham, Will had a plan. "Alright, all of you stay here until Ironhide and Sideswipe come back – that will give you a chance to catch your breath. Graham needs some assistance on his end because Evac is down. He's also got the most weaponry at the moment, so we can stall Piranacon until our guys finish Long Haul. I'm going over to assist him. Don't begin your assault until you're given the order."

The soldiers took refuge by the trees while Lennox and another man with a twisted ankle got into the Humvee.

"Lennox, aren't you driving?" Mikaela asked.

"No, you're doing fine – I've got to breathe," he replied. "Stick close to the perimeter of the trees and head west near the path to the waterfront; there's the least action over there. Graham's camp is near that area, almost directly opposite us."

* * *

Evac had taken a bad hit from the combiner's guns and had to drag himself to some cover. That left Brawn and Bumblebee who also had to retreat to avoid a similar end. With both Dirge and Storm Cloud present, they couldn't get close to the giant Decepticon even if they wanted to.

"We can at least take out one of them," Brawn reasoned. "Storm Cloud is closer."

"I'll draw him in," Bee replied. He charged back out on to the field, doing an impressive flip while shooting into the 'Con's side. He landed in a low stance and beckoned with two fingers – that taunt seemed to be universal.

Storm Cloud also got a running start and leapt high into the air keep out of the Autobot's reach. His focus on Bee made it all too easy; Brawn blasted his core full of holes before he even hit the ground. Now they were down to two.

Next onto the scene came Ironhide and Sideswipe, having finally destroyed Long Haul. They sped from the forest, the urgent calls from Evac had alerted them to the current situation. Even Optimus Prime would have a difficult time dueling Piranacon. His feet were churning the ground into a muddy pit, making it a challenge to traverse. There was no cover besides the forest, but that was not nearly enough to impede the massive Decepticon's onslaught. Dirge had learned from Storm Cloud's error and stayed close to Piranacon for his own safety, though even he had to be careful of the beast. The combiner's guns were bad enough, but it was the trident-like sword that was caused the most damage; with one swing he could level trees.

* * *

It was getting increasing difficult to control the truck as they sped across the torn ground. Mikaela wished that Lennox hadn't wanted her to drive – sure she was very capable, but this was a life or death situation. They were halfway to the captain's camp, almost there.

"I think we've been spotted," the gunner warned. He stood in the middle of the Humvee controlling the fifty-caliber gun through an opening in the roof. "Yeah, the small one has seen us. Going hot!"

The gunshots resounded loudly while shells bounced off the metal plating of the vehicle. In the passenger seat another NEST soldier stuck his own rifle out the window, discharging it rapidly. Dirge had been standing behind his accomplice, guarding his rear from an ambush. Now he was bearing down on them.

Mikaela didn't even see the shot coming. The blast shredded the engine, the force flipping the truck and sending it rolling several times before coming to a stop in a muddy rut almost totally upside-down. The Humvee was already on fire and it would surely explode in sixty seconds or less.

The occupants were dazed and slow to move. Lennox was the first to speak. "We need to get out right now. Is anyone hurt badly?"

"I'm ok," Sam answered. "I can't get my seatbelt undone though. Mikaela? Are you ok? Can you hear me?"

Before getting into the driver's seat to go pick up Lennox and his team, someone had made her don a helmet; that was the only reason that her skull had not been cracked just now. "I'm ok." No part of her body hurt too much, besides her right arm, but the angle that they had landed in allowed her to unfasten her seatbelt.

After Will sliced through his own with a knife he cut Sam loose. "We'll have to go out the back of the Humvee; these windows are too small for us to fit through."

The young woman only barely heard him – she couldn't tear her eyes away from the soldier next to her. He was dead, no doubt about it, his body had been shredded by the blast and the resulting shards of razor-sharp metal. Blood was already dripping from him.

"Mikaela, there's nothing we can do, we have to go now." Lennox took her hand and pulled her out towards the exit. "Sam, grab that." He motioned to a long metal tube while he grabbed a small case.

They managed to crawl out and stumble into another muddy ditch before what was left of the vehicle exploded. "Listen carefully," Lennox told them, "Sam, this is a rocket launcher – we're going to need this, so make sure you get it to Graham." He opened the case and passed the contents to Mikaela. "These are flare guns. As you're running, shoot the first one, and when you make it to the camp, shoot the second one. This is an order, I need you both to do this. You got that?"

"Yes."

"Ok, go!"

Sam and Mikaela sprinted for the other side of the battlefield. The standard issue rocket launcher was a little awkward to run with, but Sam managed to carry it somehow.

"I need to shoot this thing," Mikaela called to him. "Keep going!" She hoped that she was doing this correctly; she raised her arm high and fired the pistol-like device. A red flare arced up into the smoke filled sky. Glancing back, she expected to find the major right behind her, but he was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Lennox hadn't left any of his men and he wasn't about to now. The gunner had been thrown from the vehicle when they were hit, and he wasn't sure whether or not the man had survived. He had to search for him now before things really got intense. His night-vision goggles were barely functioning after all the abuse they had taken that night, but they still allowed him to make out a figure lying not too far off behind a fallen log.

"Soldier! Are you injured? Can you here me?"

"Glad you came back for me, Lennox. I think my leg's broken."

"I'm going to carry you out."

"You won't make it; just send someone to pick me up."

"That's not an option."

"It'll be harder to have someone else find us while also running the risk getting blown up. You might as well get a truck, then come back."

Lennox sighed and gave the man his rifle. "Hang in there," he said and took off running.

* * *

Mikaela was having a difficult time getting through the mud and debris. It was dark and she couldn't see where she was going, she only had the barely-visible silhouette of Sam's back to follow. She tripped several times, falling down face first. Her arm was hurting more now and she wondered if she'd injured it in the crash.

A stray laser bolt scorched the ground nearby, the distraction causing her to loose her footing once again. She slid down into yet another ditch, this indentation formed by one of Piranacon's massive feet. During the fall, her hand that clutched the last flare gun, closed upon the trigger. The flare spun off on a horizontal trajectory. She swore at herself; she wasn't supposed to have shot it yet, Lennox's orders were specific.

She clambered out of the hole and found Deception Dirge staring at her, having found the source of the flare. The thought had already gone through her mind several times that night, but this time she believed it – she was going to die out here.

* * *

Will had seen the flare go off a short distance in front of him; something had gone wrong. He saw Mikaela running frantically and the Decepticon moving in on her. There was no doubt that it would kill her. Lennox starting hollering and waving his arms as he ran. He found a spare grenade in his combat suit and pulled the pin before hurling the explosive as hard and far as he could. The resulting explosion caught the 'Con's attention.

"NO!" she screamed.

Dirge shot at Will, sending the man flying through to air. He landed hard on the ground and lay there motionless.

Mikaela forgot about the Deception and dashed to where Will's body lay. She was almost there – she fell and was crawling through it all to get to him. Then she saw something huge walking up the path. She thought was going to die.

The being was Cybertronian, but not a Decepticon; it stepped right over her instead of on her. Dirge hesitated and stepped back – it looked like a Prime. The newcomer brandished a shining axe, but no cannons, though it quickly became apparent that he was in no need of them. He charged the Decepticon, deflecting the bolts of energy from its guns. It tried to fly away but the Cybertronian jumped and sliced him out of the air.

* * *

Epps could see another towering alien body trudge up the path from the beach. At first he thought it was another Decepticon, and after Dirge was cut down he assumed it was Optimus, but then he realized that it was someone else.

"Who is that? They aren't with NEST!"

"Never seen him before," Graham replied via radio. "He isn't going after us though."

The Autobots were also clueless. Ironhide was second-in-command, which made it his responsibility to find out. "Who are you?" he asked over their frequency.

"We will converse later," the Cybertronian replied. "We have a combiner to dismantle."


	8. Rescued

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_The battle is over (finally!). Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! I really love hearing what you think of the story.

* * *

**Chapter 8 (Rescued)**

By this time, Piranacon had noticed the newcomer and growled his annoyance. "Are you for Lord Megatron?"

"Never!" the Cybertronian announced vehemently.

The red sword of the Decepticon swung down to cleave apart the other being, but his large battle axe stopped the blow. That was all it took to start an intense duel between the giants, each aiming to cut down the other. The rest of the Autobots wasted no time in advancing on the combiner; with its concentration on the Cybertronian, they would be able to move in without such a high risk of getting blasted to pieces.

"Bumblebee, Sideswipe, get on top of that beast," Ironhide ordered. "Brawn, you're with me – let's take out the main cannon."

The Cybertronian and Piranacon slashed away at each other – every hit of Cybertanium metal on metal clanged so loudly that the humans had to cover their ears. The combiner was indeed distracted; the heavy fire it was taking on the other side of its body alerted it to the attack of the other Autobots. Yet, every time he turned to jab his sword at them or aim a shot, the other entity would tear into him with the axe.

Meanwhile, the two smallest Autobots had managed to get behind the 'Con and up onto its back. Sideswipe went to work hacking into its shoulder-mounted artillery, and Bee tried to shoot the combined Decepticons apart. A little further back from this brawl the more heavily armed Autobots were finally able to use the own cannons, blasting away with surprising zeal.

Piranacon screamed in rage at the full-scale assault, now flailing his weapons wildly in an attempt to rid himself of at least some of the Autobots. The careless tactic provided the Cybertronian with a prime opportunity. Lunging forward, his axe swiped off the head of the combiner. It was progress, but the beast was still made of many more.

Captain Graham had been waiting for the perfect moment to give the signal. They only had one rocket for the launcher and they needed to make it count. Now that the Decepticon monster was headless, this might be the best chance they ever got. With a shout to a soldier waiting nearby, the weapon fired and shot straight towards the heart of the creature. They could only hope that it would create enough damage and slow the 'Con down enough for the Autobots to finish it off.

The projectile left a small but smoldering hole near Piranacon's core, significantly impeding its onslaught.

"Get back!" the Cybertronian yelled. Bee and Sideswipe leapt off the Decepticon a moment before their ally slammed his battle axe into the damaged section. With a ferocious grating sound the axe ripped the combined 'Cons apart, tearing apart the being of Piranacon.

Out of the water, the Seacons were not as agile or quick to move. It did not take long for the Autobots to dispatch the rest of them. Though virtually bloodless, the finale of this battle was no less brutal than any other. The Cybertronian's blade did not rest until every last Decepticon had been shredded to scrap metal. It was not until the sparks of the creatures had been extinguished that a cheer broke out from the weary NEST soldiers.

Ironhide addressed him. "Thank you for aiding us, brave warrior."

"It was my duty to help you in anyway I could," the Cybertronian replied. "I was once called Steelhead."

"How did you come to be here?"

"Many earth-years ago I was sent to search for Megatron. When he came to this planet I followed him here with the task of killing him. My transport crashed and I was stranded in this area of many islands. I also lost Megatron's signal. As much as I feared reporting my failure to my commander, I tried to repower my ship to get home, but it was not possible without Energon. I realized that unless I found a way to harness the power of this planet, I would not fare well. Thus, I began to do much research and eventually found a way to use Earth's geothermal and solar power, as well as that of the sea."

"You've been here a long time – why have you never contacted any of the Autobots who later arrived?"

"At first I had every intention of doing so, but the more I observed the inhabitants of this planet, I realized just how similar they are to us Cybertronians. They have just as much capacity for violence. I wanted to help with Earth's problems, not continue our own wars here. Thus, I devoted myself to protecting the islands of this place called Indonesia, since this land has sustained me."

"It's a noble thing Steelhead, but I must report all of this to the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime," Ironhide told him.

"I understand and will readily converse with the Prime."

* * *

"Help! Someone help!" Mikaela screamed.

Before the final battle, Lennox had been shot by a Decepticon and now lay unconscious in the mud. By some miracle, neither he nor the young female civilian had been crushed underfoot by the giant alien beings. Now that it was over, the major needed medical attention, immediately. Mikaela had not wanted to move him an inch. There were just too many possible injuries he could have, that changing his position might prove fatal. The only thing she was sure of was that he was alive – he had a faint pulse and was drawing shallow breaths – but for how much longer?

Her cries did not go unheeded for long. Bumblebee was attuned to the two humans he'd been a guardian over; he heard her distress and sprinted over. "Mikaela, what's wrong?"

"Lennox, he's badly hurt, you've got to do something!"

Before he could make a reply, Bee suddenly spun and aimed his arm cannons skyward, a reaction also shared by the rest of the Autobots. The sound of helicopter rotary blades came first, then three Ospreys hovered into view overhead, visible only by the lights the Autobots shone. When everyone realized that it was the long-awaited back-up that Major Lennox had requested earlier that night, the alarm dissipated.

"Mikaela, I will make sure they help Lennox first," Bee assured her and ran to Captain Graham's camp.

She returned to Will's side where she had been crouching and grasped his hand which was dirty and bloodied but warm. "Stay with me, we're going to get you out of here," she spoke softly. "Think about your family, they love you. Just fight, hang in there, it's going to be alright." Mikaela doubted whether or not he could actually hear her, so her words were more to convince herself. If he didn't pull through… She wouldn't let herself think about it, not now. He had to make it.

* * *

"Where's Mikaela? She was right behind me when we were running." Sam anxiously looked around at all of the mud-covered NEST soldiers. "Isn't she here? I don't see Lennox either."

"I can't get him on his radio," Graham murmured. "Wait, that looks like Bumblebee coming over. Perhaps he's seen them."

The yellow Autobot came to a skidding stop before the humans. "Major Lennox is hurt, he needs urgent medical attention."

"Where? Where is he?" the captain asked.

"That way." Bee pointed in the direction.

"What about Mikaela? Is she ok?"

"Yes Sam. I'll take you both to them."

Bumblebee transformed and Sam leapt into the front seat. Graham shouted orders to the troops as he also got inside the vehicle.

"I can see them!" Sam hollered. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…"

Both men clambered out of the car and dashed to the two people on the ground. The captain got down on his knees and checked Will's vital signs. "He's still alive. Mikaela, have you moved him at all?"

"No, I've barely touched him."

"Ok, I need you to brace his head – just hold it in the position it's in right now. I'm going to loosen some of this gear. Sam, take the radio and help me relay orders. I've already put the word through to have the first Osprey land closest to here and take care of Lennox first. Bumblebee, direct the pilots down if they need assistance."

In a few minutes the three tiltrotor aircraft had landed – there was now enough space to do so with all of the fallen trees, that were now pushed aside by the Autobots– and a medical team jogged over to where the major lay. They quickly had his body braced, an IV in his arm, and had him on a stretcher. It wasn't until they were carrying him back to the aircraft that Mikaela broke down in tears.

Sam hugged her tightly. "He's going to be all right, the medics are going to take care of him now. You did a good job."

"Hey, you two should get on a transport," Graham told the couple. They want to put all of the injured into this one here, so go over to that next one and they'll get you settled."

Over near the light bright aircraft lights someone noticed the red stain on the young woman's jacket. "Are you injured, miss?"

"No, I'm ok."

"Could you just take off your jacket a moment? Actually, you might as well leave it off, it's so shredded."

Her bare arm bore three nasty cuts, much to her surprise. She had barely even felt anything.

"Looks like you got hit by some shrapnel. Sit down here and we'll get that dealt with right away."

Mikaela felt numb. She hardly noticed someone wrap a blanket around her shoulders. Eventually someone came along to examine her wound, but it was deemed better to wait until they got to the hospital to have it properly attended to.

"Sweetheart, lean your head on my shoulder," Sam said softly. "Just rest for a bit."

Soon enough the all the commotion faded out and she fell asleep.

* * *

Just as the Ospreys were leaving a familiar-looking craft came into view and landed in a now-available piece of land. The Autobot leader Optimus Prime alighted, followed by his medical officer, Ratchet. All the rest of the Autobots, not to mention the NEST personnel, looked very relieved to see them both.

"Although I still regret having to leave in the middle of the battle, you have all done extraordinarily well," the Prime addressed his team. "I was able to shoot down both of my pursuers, Thundercracker and Ramjet, though I don't think that we've seen the last of them. I was able to bring Ratchet back here, and he will attend to whatever damages that have been incurred."

"You should start with Evac – he took the worst hit," Brawn suggested.

"I don't recognize this warrior."

Steelhead stepped forward, standing a little taller than Ironhide and almost as tall as the Prime. "This is Steelhead. He helped us slay Piranacon," Ironhide explained.

After he recounted his story a second time to Optimus, the red and blue Autobot looked thoughtful. "I must consider this matter further. Until that time, would you assist us in the clean-up?"

"Most certainly," Steelhead replied.

"I believe the humans had a good idea by dropping the Decepticons into deep waters," Optimus said. "It will take several trips, but if we load the transport with the parts we can drop them at another location. NEST can set up an alert system, but it should not be necessary to keep a guard posted."

Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Steelhead went to work, but Bumblebee lingered behind. "Sir, if I may speak?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"I am concerned about Sam and Mikaela, and Major Lennox was hurt in the battle."

"I see… We will make arrangements to go to them as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Optimus."


	9. Darwin

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_It feels like this story took a deep breath or something; it was much easier to write this chapter for some reason. Now that the main crisis is over, there is another one brewing – or at least I hope that's how it comes across… I also sense that this story is almost at the end; I don't want people freaking out if it suddenly ended. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 9 (Darwin)**

It was hours before they reached the hospital; the one they had to go to was in Darwin, Australia. It took several fueling stops to get there, but as soon as they landed the entire NEST team was rushed to the Royal Darwin Hospital. Those with the most severe injuries went into intensive care, while most of the others only needed to go through an observation period. For the most part, everyone slept through the rest of that day and the following night. The hours of fighting that had started near the beginning of morning had taken its toll on the already jet-lagged team of people.

Aside from a few cuts and bruises, Sergeant Epps was in good condition. He had heard that Lennox had gotten seriously injured, but had not been allowed to see his friend yet. In the meantime, he had the task of communicating with both the NEST base at Diego Garcia and the one in New Jersey. Once that was finished he went to relay that information on to Captain Graham.

"Ok, I just got off the phone with General Morshower and some other officers. They don't really want to send anymore planes out for us, so we'll have to wait until the C-17s back at that island load up the Autobots – they have clean-up duty on Halmahera."

"All of us can't wait here in the hospital; there are likely thirty-odd people who could leave right away."

"I mentioned that. They're gonna see if the Royal Australian Air Force will let us stay at their base for a few days until the planes get sorted out. Then we're all supposed to be back at Diego Garcia for debriefing. Hopefully they'll let us have a break when this is all over."

"Most certainly," the Briton agreed. "This was one of the toughest missions yet."

"So, if you'd like to wait for that phone call, I'm gonna see if I can get some food."

"Sure thing. And bring something back for me!"

* * *

She was sitting alone by a window when he found her. "Hey," Sam whispered.

Mikaela looked over at him and gave a weak smile. "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. Does your arm still hurt?"

She glanced down at her forearm; it had been bandaged up after the small metal fragments had been removed. "Not really… I think the painkillers are still working." Sam sat down next to her and she moved her slender body into his arms. "Any word about Lennox?"

"Not yet. I just ran into Epps and he said that the doctors haven't really spoken with him. We'll know something soon."

"It feels like we just woke up from a nightmare… but everything is still so surreal. Out there life is going on as usual, people have no idea what happened a thousand miles away."

Sam and Mikaela just sat quietly for a time, finding comfort from being with each other. They both dozed off, and it was the sound of someone entering the room that made them stir. The young woman's vision focused on the form of Graham, who took a seat nearby the couple.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. I've got a bit of good news – the Royal Australian Air Force has agreed to let the NEST team stay at their base for a few days. We are still working out the planes and so forth, but they are underway. However, until that time we'll have a nice place to stay, not at the hospital. We should be moving over there within the next hour or so. None of us have many clothes, so that is being taken care of as well; by this evening we should have something. I'm still hoping that the Autobots will be able to salvage some things from the wreckage."

"Have they contacted you?" Sam asked.

"In a roundabout way, yes. They passed a message onto the crew at the airport with our transport planes; they expect to finish soon and fly down here."

"What about Lennox? How is he?" Mikaela added.

"The doctors have told us that although his condition is serious he appears to be stable; however, they are keeping him unconscious for the time being. I'll give you details later – I don't want to overload you with more anxieties at present."

She desperately wanted to know just how badly the Major was injured, but wasn't going to press the man for information. All she could think about was the explosion and his body flung back from it. It kept replaying over and over in her mind, and ever time that she looked into his battered face it started again.

* * *

After hours of cleaning up the battlefield, the Autobots had finally disposed of all of the dead Decepticons. Optimus and Steelhead had flown the interstellar transport over to a deep section of water and dropped all of the remains there. While that happened, the other four Autobots did the best they could to fix the scarred tropical forest. Though they had lived on Earth for a time, none of them were geographical experts; their limited knowledge of flora and fauna made for some lively debates and unusual log arrangements.

"Earth forests are not arrayed in this way!" Ironhide insisted.

Brawn had laid the fallen logs out in the clearing in a grid-like manner. "You said that the timber had to be on the ground for the nutrients to benefit the pre-existing life-forms – that is what I've done."

"Trees do not fall in formation; it is a random occurrence. Thus the way they are placed must appear to be in random order."

"This is a sporadic placing; I didn't form a perfect sequential order!" Brawn growled. "Besides, I didn't see you doing much lifting of wood!"

"Let's ask Steelhead when he returns," Bumblebee suggested in an effort to calm his fellow Autobots. "By the way, where is Sideswipe?"

"Probably under a log," Ironhide muttered.

Movement in the forest caught the trio's attention and they turned to see the small silver warrior roll out and over to where they were standing.

"Where have you been?" the weapons specialist asked.

"I had to return the mammalian creature to its habitat."

"You aren't going to keep the little fuzzy thing?" Brawn teased.

Sideswipe turned a sharp glare in his fellow's direction. "It belongs with those of its kind in its own environment."

"It did seem to like you," Bee pointed out. "You took good care of it."

Sideswipe didn't respond but seemed pleased by the comment.

A strong breeze blew through the jungle canopy as the Cybertronian craft landed nearby. Optimus and Steelhead alighted and joined the group.

"Well, that's the last of it," the Prime declared, referring to the Decepticon corpses. "We should be going shortly; it's a distance to the airport, and the humans are waiting for us."

Evac and Ratchet came forward; the former had been injured in the battle and the Autobot medic had spent a large part of his time treating him. "I believe that Evac is well enough to travel, but I do not recommend that he do any flying at present."

Optimus took a posture that indicated that he was thinking – one arm across his chest and the other brought up to the bottom of his faceplate. "We'll have to take it slow along that dirt road, but we should be able to manage."

Steelhead spoke up; "Optimus, take my ship."

"No friend, it is yours and we've been able to restore it to you."

"I want you to have it. I can see that you have a much greater need for it than I – I have gotten by without it for many years. You need a craft that can take you around this planet, as that one surely can. Besides, it has bonded well with you. It would be an honour to give it to you."

Optimus clapped a hand to the shoulder of their new-found friend and ally. "Thank you. I greatly appreciate your gift."

It was soon decided that Bumblebee, Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Ratchet would drive back north to the docks to take the waiting military landing craft back across to the Ternate harbour. From there they would proceed directly to the airport and board the C-17s that they and the NEST team had taken to Indonesia several days ago. After that they would fly south to Australia to rejoin the rest of the team. In the meantime, Optimus would take Evac to the NEST base on Diego Garcia, and then meet everyone at Darwin. The only part of the plan that was met with reluctance was the absence of Steelhead.

"I am linked with this place, it is my home," he explained. "I am glad to have met you all, and I hope that we will see each other once again in the near future. With the transport, you will be able to return here easily."

"I look forward to that, as do we all," Optimus said. "Someday, if you wish, you must also see this planet in its entirety, for there is much to behold."

"That would be nice; I never got to see the rest of Earth."

"Let us see you off."

As a group they went down to the beach and stood on the shore, watching Steelhead wade out into the azure water from which he had come. With a customary Cybertronian parting gesture, he dove beneath the surface and swam away. The rest of the Autobots also parted and began their respective journeys, most of them thinking about their brave human counterparts waiting for them in another land.

* * *

The RAAF Base Darwin was actually linked with the Darwin International Airport, so when NEST's airplanes came in everyone and everything would be located in a secure, central area, aside from the people still in the hospital. It was a bustling place, but the personnel were very friendly and warmly welcomed the battle-weary soldiers. Captain Graham met with the chief officers to discuss some additional details, most of which concerned the arrival of the Autobots. Although the world's militaries were mostly aware of NEST and the covert operations that they performed with the partnership of the Autonomous Robotic Organisms, very few had actually seen these alien beings.

"The Autobots are highly disciplined," Graham explained, "It's important to keep in mind that they are soldiers also. They have learned to coexist with us, and are careful to look before they take a step, so you won't have to worry about any damage occurring. Most of the time they will likely be in their alt-mode, which means that they will appear just like a regular car or truck."

"I'm quite looking forward to seeing them," the officer replied.

"We'll also have the Autobot leader arriving in one of their aircraft. It's about the size of a large transport plane, though without the huge wingspan. If you don't want the craft at the base, we can make other arrangements."

"That won't be necessary; we'll make every effort to accommodate your crew. It's an honor to have you all visit."

* * *

That evening, after getting settled at the RAAF base, Epps returned to the hospital accompanied by Sam and Mikaela. They had to check on the soldiers who were still in intensive care, Major Lennox being one of them. Mikaela was so anxious that she couldn't even eat dinner before they left.

The doctor sat down with them to explain the facts of his injuries. "He's got a bit of everything – he has burns, some of them are second degree; his left arm is fractured in a couple places and his right one is partially dislocated; a couple of his ribs are also fractured; he's got a concussion, though it isn't severe thanks to his helmet; the lower part of his right leg, the fibula, is cracked; also he's got some pretty deep bruising on his legs, so we're monitoring for blood clots. The issue that concerns me most is his back – we aren't going to have him fully conscious until maybe another day or two, then we'll be better able to assess any further injuries there."

Neither the Sergeant nor the civilians could say much of anything; they all sat silent and solemn.

"There is some good news," the doctor continued, sounding more positive, "Lennox's condition remains stable and he his showing early signs of improvement."

"You'll keep us informed?" Epps asked.

"Certainly. The hospital has all the contact information for your team. You're at the air force base, right?"

"Yes."

"I recommend that you all get some rest. The Major is not in danger, but he does need time to recover."

Mikaela didn't speak during the ride back to base. It was difficult even to imagine someone so brave and strong like Will Lennox lying in a hospital bed with multiple injuries. She was still finding it hard to accept all that had occurred in Indonesia, and some part of her told herself that she was still in shock. Someone had mentioned that there were counselors at the base – she'd initially dismissed the thought that she might need one, but maybe she did…

Lying in bed that night, Mikaela thought back to what she had been doing before all of this – at home in Southern California, working at the custom motorbike shop, hanging out with her boyfriend while he was on spring break – it seemed so far away now. She just wanted everything to be alright; for Lennox to get better, for the decimated forest in Maluku to re-grow, to go home and live her life, which hadn't even been that stable until the past couple years. But one question kept echoing in her thoughts: what if it didn't?


	10. Darkened Sky

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_OK, this might be the second to last chapter – I'm thinking one more after this… we'll see how it goes… I hope that you've been enjoying this story. Big shoutout to _Maverick1997 _for all the help and cool details about the RAAF – this chapter would not have been possible without you; thanks a lot!

* * *

**Chapter 10 (Darkened Sky)**

At dawn the next day, two massive C-17 military transport planes landed at Darwin's airport. To an observer, the vehicles inside the craft looked ordinary – only the two sports cars seemed out of place. Sam had gotten up before the sun to greet the Autobots, as were several other men from NEST. Once in the privacy of a hangar, Ironhide transformed and gave an update from their side of things.

"We've done the best that we could to clean up the battle zone, and Steelhead will continue to monitor the forest's progress. Optimus is taking Evac back to Diego Garcia in the interstellar craft, and will be arriving here shortly."

"That's good," Epps commented. "Well, now that you're all here we should be able to get back home or wherever in the next forty-eight hours. I've got to call the General. You guys are ok here?"

"We'll be fine," Ratchet assured the sergeant.

"Hey, I'm glad you're all here!" Sam said enthusiastically. "The Australian air force has been really nice in letting us stay here for a bit."

"That is generous," the medic replied.

"How is Major Lennox?" Ironhide asked.

"Still in the hospital. He was pretty badly injured, but the doctors said that he's doing alright at the moment."

"What about the rest of the team?"

"They're doing well. Only a few of the soldiers are in the hospital, the rest are here."

Sam stayed in the hangar for a little while, then went off to have breakfast when he could no longer ignore his rumbling stomach. The base was virtually buzzing with activity, even from an early hour. There was a constant flow of air traffic on the runways, with commercial planes as well as the military ones doing drills and missions. In some parts of the base that were less hectic, the personnel let the NEST troops get a first-hand look at operations.

He was sitting down to enjoy a hot meal of fish and chips when Captain Graham came over with a brooding look on his face.

"I thought I'd find you here. We've finally gotten the flight plans laid out, but I'm afraid we've hit a snag. Turns out that there's a nasty weather system moving in and we won't be able to get away as soon as we'd like."

"But it rains a bit everyday, and people say that thunderstorms are common – it can't be that bad to fly in."

"I've just been informed that an incoming storm has been upgraded to a tropical low; that means higher winds and lots of precipitation. It's expected that this system won't take long to dissipate since it's not a strong one, but until then we're simply going to have to wait. Epps is informing everyone else. Could you pass the word along to Mikaela?"

"Yes. She'll be disappointed, I know that she really wants to get home."

Sam hadn't even seen Mikaela that morning. When he had checked by the room she was staying in, one of the women said that she was still asleep. He located her in a lounge watching television.

"Hey, honey! How are you?"

"I'm alright," she replied.

"I've got some bad news…" he began, then stopped.

Mikaela's eyes started filling with tears. "Is it Lennox?"

"Lennox? What? No, he's fine. What is it?"

"Well, when you started saying that you had bad news I thought… I thought that he had…" She stood suddenly and practically ran out of the room.

Sam sat there in shock, staring after her. "What did I say?" he murmured aloud to himself. He jumped up and ran after her. "Mikaela wait!"

She needed to get out of there. Mikaela found herself in the Autobots' hangar. Bumblebee was already in his alt-mode and she slid into the driver's seat. Usually she let him drive, but this time her foot hit the accelerator hard and they went screeching out onto the tarmac.

"Where are we going?" Bee's voice came through the radio.

"To the nearest exit."

He seemed to take over and led them flying through gate leading off the base. "Where to now?"

"Some place quiet, like a park or something. I need to be alone."

Bee complied unquestioningly; he must have sensed her distress and wanted to help as best he could.

Also rushing to the hangar was Sam, closely followed by Epps, who was not pleased. "Your girlfriend just stole an Autobot and took off. I'm going to have the air force's guards all down my throat in a minute. What's going on?"

"Ok, she couldn't steal an Autobot; Bumblebee obviously agreed to go with her. Second of all, she's upset about something – once I catch up to her I'll find out."

Graham came onto the scene looking much calmer. "I've noticed that Ms. Banes has been much quieter these days; perhaps she's finding it difficult dealing with the stress of this whole experience. I'll take care of things here Sam, go on."

"Thanks Graham," he replied. "Hey Sideswipe, are you up for it?"

"I'm always ready for some speed – get in Witwicky."

The sky was already darkening and it was starting to rain as they raced down the roads; driving on the opposite side was a little alarming for both the young man and the Autobot, since both were accustomed to American roads.

"I'm picking up Bumblebee's signal," Sideswipe told him. "We'll be there soon."

"Great. Could you just get us there in one piece?"

The Autobot made a sound like a throaty chuckle. He already had the reputation of being a speed demon, something that had translated over into his alt-mode, a sleek Corvette Stingray. With screeching tires and Sam holding on inside for dear life, they followed them all the way to Nightcliff Beach and drove around until they spotted a yellow Camaro coming to a stop up ahead.

Mikaela got out of the car and quickly walked off onto a path. She could hear someone approaching behind her and glanced back to see Sam standing there with concern all over his face. "Sam, I need to be alone right now."

"Could you just talk to me? Please?"

She turned away again, looking out onto the ocean that was churning with whitecaps from the strong winds. The sky was a strange colour unlike one she'd ever seen at the California beaches. The rain was starting to pick up considerably and she could feel the water starting to seep into her clothing.

"Is this about Lennox? Do you have feelings for him?"

Mikaela whirled around; she was angry at the question yet tears still slipped down her flushed face. "Is that what you think? If you're wondering if I love him, the answer is no. It's never been anything like that; you know I love you."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that… Did you think that I was coming to tell you that he'd passed away?" She nodded and he continued. "I didn't realize that you were feeling so upset about him. He's going to recover though, I mean I know that visit to the hospital was a little intense…"

"It's not just that!" She was crying hard now, but the raindrops made her tears look even bigger. "It's my fault he's injured. It's because of me that he almost died!"

"What? No, it's not your fault, sweetheart."

"Yes it is! You don't understand. Remember when he told you to take the rocket launcher to Graham's camp, and he told me to shoot those flares? When I was running I fell and I shot the second flare by mistake. A Decepticon saw it and would have killed me, but then Lennox distracted it and he was shot instead. If I hadn't fired that flare early then none of this would've happened!"

"Mikaela, it was an accident – of course you never meant any of that to happen. And Lennox is going to be alright."

"But we don't know that for sure! He's got a family and a whole team that depends on him. What if he's permanently disabled from this?" she sobbed.

Sam came up to her and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there in the rain for what seemed like forever until bright flash of light and a jolting crack of thunder startled them both.

"We should get inside before we get hit by lightning," Sam said. "There's a tropical low on the way in."

"I can't go back to the base yet; everyone is going to think that I'm crazy."

"No they won't. Everyone's dealing with it in some way. I'm not even sleeping that well because I keep on having nightmares that we're in Maluku and I'm being chased by Decepticons with glowing red eyes. Listen, let's both talk to the onsite counselor this afternoon, ok?"

"Alright. I didn't know that you were freaking out about this as well. I've just been feeling so guilty the past while that I kind of shut down to everything else."

Sideswipe made a whistling noise when the couple walked back the car with water dripping from their clothes. "I'm gonna to go ahead to the base, if that's alright."

"Yeah, we won't soak your seats," Sam replied.

"I'm going to have to spend the rest of the day dehumidifying," Bee muttered a complaint.

Mikaela gazed out the front window at the beach; the sandy expanse was broken up by large escarpments of rock and further back from the water trees framed the coastline. "It must be so beautiful here when it's sunny."

* * *

The tropical low passed over Darwin during most of the following twenty-four hours. Tree branches snapped, debris was strewn about, the wind howled, and rain pelted everything at a fairly horizontal angle. It was an entirely new experience for Sam and Mikaela, who were more acquainted with earthquakes in California; however the sturdy, cyclone-proof accommodation blocks kept everyone well protected. With the slightly limited activity at RAAF Base Darwin, many people spent time at the training building or the club area or simply caught up on their reading and sleeping. That night was a roast dinner, and everyone went to bed listening to the sounds of the storm outside.

By the late morning the tail end of the cyclone was passing over the city, and the base prepared for clean-up and any other matters that needed to be dealt with. Meanwhile, the NEST soldiers assembled to listen to the travel plans. Graham was addressing this meeting, and he looked eager to get underway.

"Alright, the weather is finally clearing up so we can get ready to fly out at fifteen-hundred hours. One of our planes will be flying to the States; I have a list of everyone that will be on that one, it's mainly the wounded, a couple Autobots, and our civilians. The second plane will be heading back to Diego Garcia with everyone else. So, make sure you have all your gear together and are ready to leave by that time. Sergeant Epps is currently at the hospital with a couple of other guys. If you need me, I'll be in the Autobot hangar for the next while."

After the impromptu conference, Sam and Mikaela followed the Captain to the hangar to talk with the Autobots about where they would be going. Optimus had his Cybertronian spacecraft in another hangar that had been completely sealed off due to the highly confidential nature of the vehicle.

"Amongst the five of you, have you determined who will be going where?"

The Prime spoke first. "I have the transport to fly, so I will not need to travel in an airplane. I will be returning to Diego Garcia for the time being – especially since the Major will not be on duty."

"We can also go back to the base," Brawn added, indicating Sideswipe and himself.

"Bumblebee and I have decided to accompany Lennox, Sam, and Mikaela back to the United States," Ironhide said.

"Alright, that sounds good. I think that Epps will also be going on that flight because he needs to go over to the New Jersey base soon. Right now your plane is being altered to house the medical equipment and beds, but there will be more than enough room for everyone. It's going to be a long flight; there will be several fueling stops along the way. I know that you'll all be glad to get home. If you would excuse me I need to go check on some arrangements."

Sam looked up at Bumblebee. "You're coming back with us? I thought that you wanted to be doing some NEST missions for a while."

"I have been on several missions, but I think that right now I'm more needed at home. After you return to college Mikaela might want someone around; I haven't forgotten how upset she was yesterday."

He took his girlfriend's hand in his own. "You can call me too! We can video chat on Skype or something."

Mikaela smiled, she thought she heard a glimmer of jealousy in his voice. "Of course I'll call you. And, that's really sweet of you Bee – I always like having you around."

Sam directed a glare at the yellow Autobot. "Ironhide, I guess you want to be near Lennox."

"Yes. His family knows me and they'll need me to be there for a time while the Major recovers. Besides, there are always rookies to train at the San Diego base."

A few years ago Mikaela wouldn't have believed it if someone had told her that alien life not only existed, but would become a part of her own life. Yet, knowing that the Autobots were looking after them was a reassuring thought. She wouldn't want it any other way.


	11. Mileage to Midnight

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Second to last chapter! I can't believe the story's almost over… If you haven't read the full thing (or haven't done so in a while) please do. I haven't read the entire story at once, so I'm hoping that it all connects.

* * *

**Chapter 11 (Mileage to Midnight)**

The planes were basically loaded and ready to go – even the Autobots were inside already. The last of the NEST soldiers said their goodbyes to the Royal Australian Air Force personnel who had so generously shared their base with them for the past few days, and filed onto their respective planes. Currently on the tarmac was a pair of F/A 18 Hornets taxiing to the airstrip; soon it would be their turn.

Sam and Mikaela went over to Captain Graham who was standing beside his Diego Garcia-bound C-17. He gave the couple smile; "You're going to miss the last call, and Epps will leave you here in Darwin."

"We wanted to thank you," Sam started, "for looking out for us and everything."

"I don't think we could've survived without your help," Mikaela added.

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for making such a sacrifice. Both of you take care. I'm sure we'll see each other again at some point."

They shook hands with the British agent and hurried to their transport, as Epps was indeed making the last call. He looked eager to get going, especially since it was going to be a long trip. Soon enough, the massive aircraft took off smoothly and they were flying away from the Australian city.

"It looks so beautiful from up here!" Mikaela commented. "It's so warm and sunny… we've got to come back here. I never really got a chance to see it, or Indonesia either."

"Maybe in the summer, if I could convince my parents to pay for it, though they'd probably want to come along…" Sam muttered the last part.

"It could be fun. I would love to travel like that with my dad. I was thinking that we'd do a road trip some time this year, maybe in the fall."

"You could drive out to my college and visit for a bit."

"We'll see," she replied with a coy smile.

* * *

The interior of the plane had been set for vehicles and a medical configuration, which did not leave much room to move about. Nevertheless, Sam and Mikaela managed to keep themselves occupied on the first leg of their journey. When they had flown out to Indonesia it had only taken them about fourteen hours, but they had had the advantage of traveling in a private jet. Since the C-17 didn't have a very long range, the route back home would be considerably more involved. The first fueling stop came five hours later when the landing gear touched tarmac at Taipei, Taiwan.

"That took forever!" Sam exclaimed with a tired sigh. "So now we fly to Hawaii, then California?"

"I wish," Epps replied. "We're taking a northern route – a fueling stop in Russia, then Alaska, _then_ California. It's going to be another five hours or so until we reach Russia."

Sam and Mikaela muffled disappointed groans and realized just how fortunate they were to use that Bombardier jet.

"If I ever have to do anything that involves lots of airplane travel, I'm buying one of those."

"Well you'd better plan on being some sort of executive," she remarked.

"Maybe I'll just hire one…"

Somewhere over Korea Mikaela had dozed off while reading a magazine, when she became aware of a person softly calling her name. With effort she opened her eyes and saw one of the medics standing in front of her.

"Mikaela Banes, I'm sorry to wake you. Major Lennox has asked to see you."

"Lennox? He's awake?"

"Yes, you can speak with him briefly, but he's on a lot of painkillers and other drugs so he's pretty groggy right now."

Sam had also nodded off beside her and woke with a start. "Are we there yet?"

"No hun, it's Lennox. The medic said he's awake."

"Really?"

"I'll tell him you'll both be over in a moment; give you a chance to wake up."

Mikaela scrunched her shirt in her hands. "I can't talk to him. He's all bashed up… he's going to remember what happened. It's my fault that he's hurt in the first place…" She could feel those same guilty emotions rising up again and her eyes began to brim with tears.

"Hey, it's going to be alright. We talked about this, remember?" Sam took her hands into his own. "I know you feel bad. Lennox is a strong guy and it's scary to see him like this, but he wants to talk to us, so that probably means that he doesn't hate you. Ok?"

He looked up at her and she gazed down into his large hazel eyes that were full of compassion. Already she felt calmer. "Alright," she whispered.

They walked over to the specialized hospital cots that could vertically stack people three high, she holding Sam's hand tightly. Lennox was in a folded cot that came up to waist-height. He was positioned in a slightly raised position, though with all of the casts, bandages, IVs, and other monitors he didn't really look comfortable. His eyelids fluttered, as though he trying hard not to fall asleep.

"Sam, Mikaela – hey are you?" he mumbled drowsily upon seeing them.

"Hi Lennox, we're doing alright. It's good to see you," Sam replied with a big smile. "How're you feeling?"

"All things considered, not too bad; just really foggy, like everything's in a haze. I remember the battle… I guess we won?"

"Yes, most definitely. I'll have to tell you about it later."

Lennox closed his eyes for a long moment, then strained them open again. "Sorry… this all feels really strange. Is that Ironhide over there?"

Mikaela finally spoke up; "Ironhide's going home with you, and Bee's coming back home too."

"That's great – say hi to the big guy for me."

The medic came over, signaling the end of the brief visit. "He really needs to rest, but I'll let you know when you can talk to him again."

Sam and Mikaela returned to their seats. "See, that wasn't so bad," he reassured her.

"Yeah, I guess…"

* * *

Another fueling stop in Magadan, Russia and in less than four hours they crossed over to North America. It would be approximately five hours until they landed in California. That gave Mikaela plenty of time to think about what to do when she got home. There weren't really any windows to look out of, so it was impossible to tell the time, unless she checked a clock; but it didn't matter.

The last time that Lennox had been awake he and Epps spoke for a bit. It must have been difficult for Epps to see his friend so badly injured. Mikaela had been avoiding the man as much as possible, not even wanting to make eye contact. Surely he harboured some resentment for what had happened. With those thoughts in her mind it was all the more surprising when she looked up to see the sergeant standing in front of her. It took her a moment to register what he was saying.

"You can sleep on one of the empty cots."

"No, it's alright, I'm fine here."

"These seats are meant for sitting, and sitting only – I know they aren't comfortable. Even Sam is camping out in Ironhide's cab."

Mikaela got up and walked over to a lower cot that was near to the floor. There wasn't a lot of space, but the blanket and pillow looked like the softest things in the world at that moment. "Thanks Epps."

"No problem." He gave her a small smile and strode off.

Nestling down like she was going into hibernation, Mikaela felt more at ease than she had in quite a while.

* * *

The C-17 touched down at Edwards Air Force Base at quarter to eleven that night. Waiting ambulances rushed all of the injured off to hospital, leaving the two Autobots and limited number of NEST personnel standing beside the aircraft. It took some time to get through all of the procedural stuff, but the two civilians were soon allowed to leave. At least they had Bumblebee to drive them home and not another government SUV.

"You kids will be alright from here?" Epps asked them.

"Yeah, Bee will get us there safely," Sam replied. "Thanks for everything, Epps. See you around."

"I appreciate you two putting yourselves out there like you did; it means a lot. Take care."

"I think that's the most affection we've ever gotten from him," Sam remarked as they got into the Camaro.

They had already phoned his parents to tell them that they were headed home. Mikaela knew that he really missed them. He'd probably never admit it, but there was nothing like being in the embrace of one's parents, no matter how much they might have embarrassed him in the past. She had also called her dad to let him know that she was back in the country – he was already aware of the Autobots, and had been content knowing that she was with Sam and Bee, and uninjured. How much she would reveal about her Indonesian adventure she would have to decide later.

Though she expected that they would both fall asleep and let Bee drive the entire two and a half hours to the Witwicky house, Sam and Mikaela sat and watched the dark scenery go past. It was all familiar and yet so surreal at the same time, like a strange dream.

Pulling into the driveway just after one-thirty in the morning, the couple quietly entered the house. The dogs hadn't heard them come in – thank goodness – but they weren't known for having any guarding abilities. They didn't really have any luggage, only a couple small bags, since the things they took to Indonesia had gotten destroyed in the battle. His parents had left a light on for them and a note about food in the refrigerator. After having a quick, late-night snack, both of them were stifling yawns.

"Do you want Bee to take you home?"

Mikaela couldn't bare the thought of any more travelling, no matter how short the distance. "Could I just stay here with you tonight? Would your parents mind?"

"You could do no wrong in their eyes. I don't have anything you could change into though, unless you want my mom's…"

"Just lend me some of your sweatpants and a t-shirt and I'll be fine."

Since the appliance-bot incident, the Witwickys were undergoing a renovation which involved completely changing Sam's former bedroom. Now he was staying in the guest bedroom. Mikaela put on her boyfriend's clothing and crawled into the plush bed. She was far too tired to take a shower first, planning on doing that tomorrow when she got back to her home. Sam came into the room a moment later and looked surprised to see her already under the covers.

He grinned broadly. "You weren't joking when you said you wanted to stay with me tonight." Snuggling in next to her he wrapped an arm around her body, pulling her close. "Good night," he whispered.


	12. No Sacrifice, No Victory

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Final chapter! This one ties up the main themes of the story into what feels like a satisfying ending. Let me know what you thought of _Duty-Bound _– click that review button and start writing (it'll only take a moment). I really hope that you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thanks again to _Frankius17 _for the request!

* * *

**Chapter 12 (No Sacrifice, No Victory)**

_Two and a half months later_

The rest of Sam's college break was spent doing relatively calm and peaceful things; trips to the beach, hiking, long drives with Bumblebee, watching movies, hanging out at Sam's house. After the unexpected and intense Indonesian mission the young couple needed that time to relax more than ever. All too soon he went back to college and Mikaela's life gradually got back to normal. Her dad was glad to have her back, and they started planning an autumn road-trip right away. She didn't have to worry anymore about secret alien technology hidden in her closet, just the one, big alien in her driveway, hiding in plain sight.

Bee was right when he said that she might want someone around to talk with after Sam left. From time to time Mikaela had nightmares and would go out in the dark and sit in the Camaro, on occasion falling asleep there. Other times she'd just feel a little down, and Bee would take her for long drives. Eventually things got better. When she and Sam talked over Skype, he said that he'd been going through much the same experiences, but he had so many things to keep him occupied that he soon got over his feelings of post-traumatic stress.

"I hope you realize that I'm taking the afternoon off to go out with you," Mikaela told Bee as she slid into the driver's seat. For the past couple days he had been pestering her to take a day off. Truth be told, the alternative would have been finally cleaning out her oven, but she just couldn't get motivated to do it. "Where are we going anyways?"

"It's a surprise. Just enjoy the ride." Bee tuned into a radio station playing some classic rock and they went roaring off down the street.

The warm breeze blew through the open window and ruffled her hair as she gazed out the foothills. Though she tried to keep her eyes on the road to make it seem as though she were actually driving, for the other motorists the young woman probably looked like the most distracted driver ever. Eventually they came to an area that she didn't recognize – it was up in the hills and away from the hustle of the freeway. Turning off the road onto a gravel driveway, Mikaela took in the surroundings and the crunching of tires on gravel until she spotted something familiar.

"Is that Ironhide? Where are we?" Beyond the large black truck was a modest house with a large porch. Suddenly it all made sense. "This is Lennox's house, isn't it?" she said it quietly, more like a statement than a question.

"Ironhide and I have talked it over and we feel that you both need to communicate," the Autobot said matter-of-factly. "He said that the Major is anxious to speak with you."

"Really?" Mikaela let out a sigh and stuck her lips into a pout. "Alright then…"

A blue Chevrolet Volt came roaring up the driveway behind them and stopped near the first two vehicles, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

"Jolt's here!" Bee enthused. "He's been helping transport Lennox to and from his rehabilitation sessions. Ironhide called him over from the California NEST detachment." She got out of the car and the three Autobots transformed. "We'll be around here if you need us," Bee told her, then walked over to his friends.

Mikaela rang the doorbell. A few moments later a blonde woman opened the door and smiled warmly. "You must be Mikaela Banes. Thanks for coming all the way out here. I'm Sarah Lennox. Please come in!"

"You've got a beautiful home," she complimented. It was everything a family home should be; something Mikaela never really had.

"Thank you. I'm sorry if it's a little messy – a two-year old can really come through like a whirlwind. Sarah led her to a sitting room that had an expansive view of the foothills behind them. "Will should be ready in a moment; it takes him a little longer these days. I'm doing some baking and I'll bring by some food soon. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Could I have some juice, please?"

"Sure thing."

Mikaela smoothed out her clothing, hoping that her scoop-neck t-shirt wasn't too low.

A little girl ran into the room and stopped short when she caught sight of the stranger.

"Hey!" Mikaela said softly.

The girl ran behind a chair and peeked out that the smiling young woman.

"I see you've met Annabelle," a voice said. Lennox hobbled into the area on crutches. "How are you Mikaela?"

"I'm doing good." She was surprised to see the man so mobile – the last time she saw him was on a stretcher.

Sarah returned with a couple glasses of juice and picked up the toddler, leaving them to visit in private.

"So, how has it been?" Mikaela asked. "You look like you're recovering quickly."

"I guess so, but it doesn't always seem that way. My concussion has healed, or whatever the term would be; I'm doing therapy for both arms, the dislocated shoulder and the broken arm; and I just started rehab for the leg. The doctors say that everything is healing well."

"Bee said that Jolt has become your chauffeur these past couple months."

"Yes, he's been a huge help. When we realized that it would be impossible for me to get into Ironhide's cab, he called him. But 'Hide's been here almost all the time. He's also working with California's NEST detachment. Epps has also visited several times. He said that you and Sam took the whole battle really hard."

Mikaela averted her eyes. "Yeah… it was kind of traumatic. We just got over the Egypt thing, and now this…"

"That was one of the toughest missions we've had in a long time," Will admitted. "A lot of my guys got hurt. I'm just glad that you and Sam made it out ok."

She knew that he was edging closer to the very thing that she was reluctant to discuss, so she might as well say it. "But you almost got killed this time!"

"Yes, I know."

"I put you in that position. I messed up and you were the one who paid for it. And now that I see what your life is like here… your family…" Tears started to stream down her cheeks and she tried to wipe them away with the back of her wrist.

Lennox awkwardly stood and grabbed and nearby Kleenex box and shuffled over to sit down beside her on the sofa. "I don't blame you for what happened. I made a conscious choice to take that shot. Every time I go out on a mission, I know what the risks are, and so does my family, but I do this job so that everyday people like you don't get hurt."

"But I could never ask you to give up your life for me!" she protested.

"Maybe, but I would do it all the same. As a soldier, it's my duty to protect others. As a friend, I have a duty to keep your best interests in mind. Being a good friend means looking out for the other person, putting their needs and welfare ahead of your own. You came all the way out to Indonesia for me – that's a lot for someone to do."

"I guess…"

"I know that you feel really guilty. Mistakes happen; it's just a part of life, but it's what we learn from them that helps us move on. You know, Sam has got a good motto there: 'No sacrifice, no victory'. We gained from that mission, like that Cybertronian they discovered – which I completely missed…"

"You were unconscious!"

Will chuckled. "Well, you see what I mean."

"Yes…" she nodded and rubbed her face, hoping that she didn't look like a complete mess after bursting into tears. "Thanks for everything, I guess I really needed to hear this from you."

"My pleasure."

Mikaela gave him a brief hug, finally feeling like an enormous weight had been lifted off of her.

"Cookies!" Annabelle shouted from another part of the house.

"That's our cue," Lennox laughed.

She followed him to the kitchen – moments like these with family and friends were definitely worth the hardship of a complicated world outside; yet right here, right now, time just disappeared.

**The End**


End file.
